Fortuitous: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Fortuitous adjective. Happening by chance rather than by design.
How to say it
for-TYOO-ih-tus/fɔːˈtjuːɪtəs/ · American /fɔrˈtuːɪtəs/
4 syllables, stressed on the second (TYOO).
Fortuitous in a sentence
Their meeting was fortuitous: both had missed the same train.
The discovery of penicillin was partly fortuitous, thanks to a dirty dish.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- accidental
- chance
- unplanned
- random
Opposite:
- deliberate
- planned
- intended
Careful
Fortuitous means by chance, lucky or not. It's widely used to mean simply 'lucky', a sense dictionaries now record, but 'fortunate' says that more clearly.
Where fortuitous comes from
From Latin fortuitus, from fors, chance.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
The discovery of penicillin was partly _____, thanks to a dirty dish.
- disinterested
- ironic
- fortuitous
Show the answer
fortuitous: The discovery of penicillin was partly fortuitous, thanks to a dirty dish.