fortuitous

adjective for·tu·itous \fȯr-ˈtü-ə-təs, -ˈtyü-, fər-\

: happening by chance

: having or showing good luck

Full Definition of FORTUITOUS

: occurring by chance

a : fortunate, lucky <from a cost standpoint, the company's timing is fortuitous — Business Week>

b : coming or happening by a lucky chance <belted down the stairs, and there was a fortuitous train — Doris Lessing>

— for·tu·itous·ly adverb

— for·tu·itous·ness noun

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Usage Discussion of FORTUITOUS

Sense 2a has been influenced in meaning by fortunate. It has been in standard if not elevated use for some 70 years, but is still disdained by some critics. Sense 2b, a blend of 1 and 2a, is virtually unnoticed by the critics. Sense 1 is the only sense commonly used in negative constructions.

Examples of FORTUITOUS

… the intensification of competition on the job market has only exacerbated our class anxiety, as hiring seems all the more uncertain if not fortuitous. —Jeffrey J. Williams, College English, November 2003
… he is a brilliant candidate not despite his anti-intellectualism but because of it. He has stumbled upon a fortuitous moment in which the political culture, tired of wonks and pointy-heads and ideologues, yearns instead for a candidate unburdened by, or even hostile to, ideas. —Jonathan Chait, New Republic, 20 Dec. 1999
Her $170, 000 bid on what is now Matanzas Creek's vineyard was accepted. The south-facing slope was a fortuitous find … its worth more than 10 times as much today. —Jeff Morgan, Wine Spectator, 15 May 1996
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Origin of FORTUITOUS

Latin fortuitus; akin to Latin fort-, fors chance — more at fortune

First Known Use: 1653

Related to FORTUITOUS

Synonyms: fluky (also flukey), fortunate, happy, heaven-sent, lucky, providential

Antonyms: hapless, ill-fated, ill-starred, luckless, star-crossed, unfortunate, unhappy, unlucky

Synonym Discussion of FORTUITOUS

accidental, fortuitous, casual, contingent mean not amenable to planning or prediction. accidental stresses chance <any resemblance to actual persons is entirely accidental>. fortuitous so strongly suggests chance that it often connotes entire absence of cause <a series of fortuitous events>. casual stresses lack of real or apparent premeditation or intent <a casual encounter with a stranger>. contingent suggests possibility of happening but stresses uncertainty and dependence on other future events for existence or occurrence <the contingent effects of the proposed law>.