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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective fortuitous differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of fortuitous are accidental, casual, and contingent. While all these words mean "not amenable to planning or prediction," fortuitous so strongly suggests chance that it often connotes entire absence of cause.

a series of fortuitous events

When is it sensible to use accidental instead of fortuitous?

The meanings of accidental and fortuitous largely overlap; however, accidental stresses chance.

any resemblance to actual persons is entirely accidental

When might casual be a better fit than fortuitous?

While in some cases nearly identical to fortuitous, casual stresses lack of real or apparent premeditation or intent.

a casual encounter with a stranger

When could contingent be used to replace fortuitous?

Although the words contingent and fortuitous have much in common, 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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fortuitous In contrast, through what was likely a combination of fortuitous assignments and savvy politicking, Xi started with ties to four out of ten CMC members—a leg up that gave him the latitude to start a wide-ranging purge of rival elites and reorder the military brass. Tyler Jost, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2025 The seashell with the fortuitous hole that allowed it to be strung around your neck would crack; the thin chain bracelets wrapped around your ankle always got lost in the dunes. Lynn Yaeger, Vogue, 29 July 2025 Rather than counting on a fortuitous LTIR situation, however, the Leafs can create their own luck by entering the season with some extra space, space that will expand over time and give them real options. James Mirtle, New York Times, 10 July 2025 An earlier decision to do more prepared foods like soups and stews turned out to be fortuitous. Jan Ellen Spiegel, Hartford Courant, 7 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for fortuitous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fortuitous
Adjective
  • Scientists got fortunate in this case.
    Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Was fortunate enough to win three.
    Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Police determined the injury was accidental and not child abuse.
    Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 10 Sep. 2025
  • The sound does much of the work in action sequences obscured by blinding snowstorms and flashing emergency lights, punctuated by creative acts of accidental self-harm that save our protagonists from certain death more than once.
    Katie Rife, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Nadel, who is openly gay, muses on how the deaths of gay men subsidized his easy, happy childhood.
    The New Yorker, New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Though Todd and Julie's homecoming was received with overwhelming warmth by the extended Chrisley clan and all their friends, not every member of the core crew is happy with how the pick-up went down.
    Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Perhaps the most unexpected insights from our conversation were about leadership.
    Bernard Marr, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Whether this unexpected lull means a season that falls (hopefully) short of those predictions remains uncertain.
    Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Mallett has been lucky in that regard.
    La Risa R. Lynch, jsonline.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Yet, for a team whose defense hardly made any plays for months at a time last season and dug an insurmountable hole by never getting the lucky bounce or break in a zillion one-score losses, there were no apologies.
    Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Law enforcement has not connected the incidents, despite the coincidental timing.
    Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 12 Sep. 2025
  • The timing, although likely coincidental, illustrated the dilemma Democrats currently face.
    Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 11 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fortuitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fortuitous. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.

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