fortuitous vs fortunate :

fortuitous or fortunate

“Fortuitous” events happen by chance; they need not be fortunate events, only random ones: “It was purely fortuitous that the meter reader came along five minutes before I returned to my car.” Although fortunate events may be fortuitous, when you mean “lucky,” use “fortunate.”

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Definitions

  • s  having no cause or apparent cause
    fortuitous encounters--strange accidents of fortune
  • s  occurring by happy chance
    profits were enhanced by a fortuitous drop in the cost of raw materials

  • a  having unexpected good fortune
    other, less fortunate, children died
    a fortunate choice
  • s  supremely favored
  • s  presaging good fortune
    she made a fortunate decision to go to medical school
News & Articles

  • Phil Mickelson: Could Backspin Cost Him the US Open?
    ARDMORE, Pa. — Yes, Phil Mickelson has the lead, thanks to a fortuitous birdie at the 17th. But it might have been more of a lead.   While most people focus on Mickelson’s lip outs or missed fairways, as Saturday afternoon became Saturday evening at Merion Golf Club, I wondered if Mickelson’s backspin, that shot golf fans love to see, could cost him the U.S. Open? It’s tempting to use that shot ...
    June 16, 2013 - Bleacher Report
  • Where 'We Steal Secrets,' The Wikileaks Film, Falls Short
    The high-profile documentary   We Steal Secrets:The Story of Wikileaks  expanded into wider release in theaters and video-on-demand on Friday. Which would seem to be fortuitous timing, given this week's revelations that the NSA has been rifling through email and personal documents  stored by Internet giants like Google and Apple and collecting months of call-related data from Verizon . And yet ...
    June 8, 2013 - ReadWriteWeb

  • A few good men
    I’ve been fortunate enough to experience what Father’s Day is like from a different perspective the last two years because of my son, David. But while people have been wishing me a Happy Father’s Day in advance, which I appreciate, I tend to celebrate those who came before me: my father and grandfather.
    June 16, 2013 - Montrose Daily Press
  • Sunday, June 16, 2013 2:00 am
    I’ve been fortunate enough to experience what Father’s Day is like from a different perspective the last two years because of my son, David.
    June 16, 2013 - Montrose Daily Press
  • Adams County ‘very ‘fortunate’: August
    We were very fortunate,Adams County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Director John August said this morning. "There were some power outages in Monroe and a few trees down here and there; other than that, we had nothing reported to us.
    June 14, 2013 - Decatur Daily Democrat