1
as in fortunate
coming or happening by good luck especially unexpectedly
your arrival just before the thunderstorm was fortuitous
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in accidental
happening by chance
firmly believes that the creation of the universe was something other than just the fortuitous coming together of particles of matter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fortuitous
Like a proper millennial, Victor was glued to the third season of The White Lotus, which makes our one celebrity sighting at the Chateau particularly fortuitous.
—
Jen Wang, Vogue, 27 May 2025
The new president has promised to be less hawkish than Yoon, and his timing is fortuitous.
—John Delury, Foreign Affairs, 3 June 2025
At the end of a long shift, at the end of a long Friday night, a game in search of a hero and a Florida Panthers season in need of one final, fortuitous bounce converged on the most likely player of them all.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 10 May 2025
The game had a lot of the same elements of the Padres’ first two victories this season, complete with a fortuitous bounce and late heroics by a newcomer.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fortuitous
Jen Wang, Vogue, 27 May 2025
The new president has promised to be less hawkish than Yoon, and his timing is fortuitous.
—John Delury, Foreign Affairs, 3 June 2025
At the end of a long shift, at the end of a long Friday night, a game in search of a hero and a Florida Panthers season in need of one final, fortuitous bounce converged on the most likely player of them all.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 10 May 2025
The game had a lot of the same elements of the Padres’ first two victories this season, complete with a fortuitous bounce and late heroics by a newcomer.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fortuitous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fortuitous
Adjective
-
The pitching was so good, the Phillies were fortunate to score at all and one run was unearned.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 July 2025
-
Some people are that fortunate; my own Nana died, at a hundred and four, surrounded by family.—
Paul Bloom,
New Yorker,
14 July 2025
Adjective
-
An autopsy determined the cause of death was accidental, drowning secondary to electrocution, the Porter County Coroner’s office said.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
11 July 2025
-
The initial discovery of the toy’s mechanics was accidental.—
Aurora Martínez,
Smithsonian Magazine,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
The fact remains that dogs absolutely thrive on high-quality food and need it to keep them happy and healthy.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
14 July 2025
-
For his part, Aaron was happy that wasn’t an option.—
Ryan Ford,
Freep.com,
14 July 2025
Adjective
-
And our sandwiches in the South are creative and sometimes unexpected.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
14 July 2025
-
Workers installing a water pipeline in Croatia made an unexpected discovery, unearthing the remains of an 18th-century wooden boat.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
13 July 2025
Adjective
-
These guys were all stone cold losers who just got lucky, or almost lucky.—
Carlo Versano,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 July 2025
-
The lucky tickets were sold at the Five Star Smoke Shop in Hesperia, which is about an 80-mile drive northeast from Los Angeles, and a 7-Eleven store in Fremont, which is about a 40-mile drive southeast from San Francisco, lottery officials said.—
Don Sweeney
July 10,
Sacbee.com,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
Any resemblance to actual places, events or persons – living or deceased – is purely coincidental and unintentional.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
5 July 2025
-
But officials say the revocation of other services was purely coincidental.—
Quinlan Bentley,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fortuitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fortuitous. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share