SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
fortuitous
adjective
Happening by chance rather than by design.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Happening by chance
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topFortuitous means arising by chance and often suggests good luck. Unexpected means surprising, not necessarily accidental; serendipitous specifically adds a beneficial discovery.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See fortuitous in use
A fortuitous encounter at the station reunited two old friends.
Our meeting was entirely fortuitous.
1 more example
While visiting a materials reuse shop, an exhibition designer had a fortuitous meeting with a retired stage builder.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license