fortunate

adjective

ˈfȯrch-nət How to pronounce fortunate (audio)
Definition of fortunatenext
1
as in lucky
coming or happening by good luck especially unexpectedly in a fortunate turn of events, the motel had one last vacancy

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in happy
having good luck rabbits' feet are seen as making the carrier of them fortunate

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word fortunate different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of fortunate are happy, lucky, and providential. While all these words mean "meeting with unforeseen success," fortunate suggests being rewarded beyond one's deserts.

fortunate in my investments

How does the word happy relate to other synonyms for fortunate?

Happy combines the implications of lucky and fortunate with stress on being blessed.

a series of happy accidents

When is lucky a more appropriate choice than fortunate?

While the synonyms lucky and fortunate are close in meaning, lucky stresses the agency of chance in bringing about a favorable result.

won because of a lucky bounce

Where would providential be a reasonable alternative to fortunate?

In some situations, the words providential and fortunate are roughly equivalent. However, providential more definitely implies the help or intervention of a higher power.

a providential change in the weather

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 fortunate Oil workers spent their fat pay cheques on the company of escorts who came to Baku from the less fortunate post-Soviet states. — Literary Hub, 30 July 2026 Join a club or a service organization, sign up for a gym or volunteer to help others who are less fortunate. — Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 29 July 2026 To Warnock, the challenges Americans face are fundamentally moral issues that involve human dignity, justice, and our common responsibility to the less fortunate. — Terry W. Hartle, Christian Science Monitor, 29 July 2026 Investors feel fortunate to receive shares and spend less time asking why existing owners are willing to sell them. — Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for fortunate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fortunate
  1. lucky
  2. happy
Adjective
  • The lucky numbers 4, 23, 31, 32, 57 and Powerball 23 were drawn Monday.
    — Katie Langford, Denver Post, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Marylanders are feeling lucky ahead of a $1 billion Powerball drawing Wednesday.
    — Tara Lynch, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of lucky
Adjective
  • The researchers scanned the brains of eight dogs — six border collies, a labrador and a golden retriever — while showing them images of strangers with either a happy or a neutral expression.
    — Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Yet the socialist ideal still beckons – the idea that the state, embodied either in one person or somehow in the masses, can make people richer or happier by controlling the engines of production.
    — James K. Glassman, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of happy

Browse Nearby Words

fortuity
fortunate
fortunately
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Cite this Entry

“Fortunate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fortunate. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on fortunate

Nglish: Translation of fortunate for Spanish Speakers

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