fortuitous

for·tu·i·tous  (fôr-t-ts, -ty-)

adj.

1. Happening by accident or chance. See Synonyms at accidental.

2. Usage Problem

a. Happening by a fortunate accident or chance.

b. Lucky or fortunate.

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[Latin fortutus; see bher-¹ in Indo-European roots.]

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for·tui·tous·ly adv.

for·tui·tous·ness n.

Usage Note: In its best-established sense, fortuitous means "happening by accident or chance." Thus, a fortuitous meeting may have either fortunate or unfortunate consequences. For decades, however, the word has often been used in reference to happy accidents, as in The company's profits were enhanced as the result of a fortuitous drop in the cost of paper. This use may have arisen because fortuitous resembles both fortunate and felicitous. Whatever its origin, the use is well established in the writing of reputable authors.·The additional use of fortuitous to mean "lucky or fortunate," is more controversial, as in He came to the Giants in June as the result of a fortuitous trade that sent two players back to the Reds. This use dates back at least to the 1920s, when H.W. Fowler labeled it a malapropism, but it is still widely regarded as incorrect.

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fortuitous [for-tyew-it-uss]

Adjective

happening by chance, esp. by a lucky chance [Latin fortuitus]

fortuitously adv

Thesaurus

Adj.	1.	fortuitous - having no cause or apparent cause; "a causeless miracle"; "fortuitous encounters--strange accidents of fortune"; "we cannot regard artistic invention as...uncaused and unrelated to the times" uncaused, causeless unintended - not deliberate
	2.	fortuitous - occurring by happy chance; "profits were enhanced by a fortuitous drop in the cost of raw materials" fortunate - having unexpected good fortune; "other, less fortunate, children died"; "a fortunate choice"

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fortuitous

adjective 1. chance, lucky, random, casual, contingent, accidental, arbitrary, incidental, unforeseen, unplanned

adjective 2. lucky, happy, fortunate, serendipitous, providential, fluky (informal)

Translations

fortuitous [fɔːˈtjuːɪtəs] adj → fortuito

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fortuitous [fɔːˈtjuːɪtəs] adj → fortuit(e)

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fortuitous [fɔːˈtjuːɪtəs] adj → zufällig

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fortuitous [fɔːˈtjuːɪtəs] adj → fortuito/a