SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
serendipity
noun
The occurrence of a valuable or pleasing discovery by chance.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Fortunate unexpected discovery
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topSerendipity usually combines chance with a valuable discovery. Good fortune is broader, and a chance discovery need not be beneficial.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See serendipity in use
Finding the missing illustration inside an unrelated volume was serendipity.
While visiting a materials reuse shop, an exhibition designer had a fortuitous meeting with a retired stage builder. Their conversation led to a cabinet of discarded sketches that suited her new project. She called the discovery serendipity because she had been looking for shelves, not drawings.
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