fortuitous
adjective
Usage 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 senses 1 and 2a, is virtually unnoticed by the critics. Sense 1 is the only sense commonly used in negative constructions.
Did you know?
For its first 250 years, until the early part of the 20th century, fortuitous meant one thing only: “happening by chance.” This was no accident; its Latin forebear, fortuitus, shares the same ancient root as fors, the Latin word for “chance.” But the fact that fortuitous sounds like a blend of fortunate and felicitous (“happily suited to an occasion”) likely led to a second meaning of “fortunate, lucky,” with the seeds of the newer sense perhaps planted by writers applying overtones of good fortune to something that is a random occurrence. The “lucky” use has been disparaged by critics, but it is now well established. Irregardless (cough), employing this sense in sterner company may be considered chancy.
Synonyms
Examples of fortuitous in a Sentence
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
His presence there was entirely fortuitous.
You could not have arrived at a more fortuitous time.
Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 20 Nov. 2024
The announcement comes at a fortuitous time, given a recent glowing report from Spanish trade and investment body ICEX and entertainment analytics org, Parrot Analytics.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 22 Oct. 2024
My timing was quite fortuitous because just a few months later Covid happened and the pandemic, of course, forced everyone to slow down their operations.
—Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 5 Nov. 2024
But meeting Little Feat was fortuitous and spurred three albums with them.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fortuitous 
Dictionary Entries Near fortuitous
Cite this Entry
“Fortuitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fortuitous. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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