All words

fortuitous

Meaning

Occurring or existing through no apparent cause; happening unexpectedly or by accident.

Examples by difficulty

Basic: Simple, everyday vocabulary — the easiest to read.

Missing the bus that morning turned out to be a fortuitous event for Anna. While she was waiting for the next one, she met an old friend she had not seen in years. Their meeting was not planned but happened entirely by chance.

I was in a complete panic when I realized I had forgotten my textbook right before the big exam. It was a fortuitous moment when I ran into a classmate who just happened to have an extra copy I could borrow.

Sarah forgot her umbrella that morning, but when the storm hit during lunch, she stayed dry inside the café. Her delay turned out to be fortuitous when she met an old friend who offered her the job she desperately needed.

I tripped on my shoelace while running to catch the ice cream truck, but in a fortuitous turn, I landed face-first in my neighbor’s sprinkler just as a huge flock of pigeons swooped by. Somehow, I ended up cleaner than before and got free ice cream—thank you, random events!

My pants ripped open right before my big speech. It was a truly fortuitous event when a strong gust of wind blew a passing clown’s giant red nose directly into the hole, plugging it perfectly. The audience thought it was part of the act and gave me a standing ovation.

Normal: Standard, everyday language.

It was a fortuitous encounter when Sarah ran into her old friend at the grocery store. They hadn't seen each other in years, but their chance meeting brought back fond memories of their time together in college.

As he wandered through the bustling market, his gaze fell upon an antique compass. Fortuitously, it was the exact model he had been searching for for years. Thrilled at this unexpected find, he purchased it with glee.

As Sarah stumbled through the dark forest, she felt a sudden chill run down her spine. The fortuitous sound of twigs snapping behind her sent shivers down her spine. She quickened her pace, but the footsteps behind her seemed to match her every move. Panic set in as she realized she was being followed by something sinister. With each passing moment, the feeling of dread grew stronger. Sarah knew she had to find a way out of the forest before it was too late. But as she turned a corner, she came face to face with her worst nightmare.

In the desolate alley, the serrated blade glinted under the flickering streetlight. As the shadowy figure lurked behind a dumpster, a fortuitous cough from a passerby shattered the stillness. The killer's heart pounded as the intruder's footsteps grew louder, each one a chilling reminder of their unplanned encounter.

In the land of Luminia, where magic flowed like rivers and dragons soared through the skies, the young wizard, Elara, stumbled upon a fortuitous discovery. While wandering through the enchanted forest, she tripped over a hidden chest, its contents shimmering with untold power. It was a stroke of luck that led her to this treasure, a chance encounter that would change the course of her destiny. With a heart full of hope and a mind brimming with curiosity, Elara knew that this fortuitous moment was no mere accident, but a twist of fate guiding her towards greatness.

Advanced: Richer vocabulary that stretches an upper-level reader.

Emma never planned to bump into her old friend at the café, but their fortuitous meeting brightened her entire week. If they had chosen different seats or arrived a few minutes earlier, they might have missed each other completely, proving how some things really do occur by chance.

I was completely lost in the unfamiliar city, my phone dead. The arrival of a bus going directly to my hotel felt like a truly fortuitous event. It was a random stroke of luck that saved me hours of panicked wandering and got me back safely.

Sarah had no plan to check her phone during the meeting, but when it buzzed, she glanced down. The message was from her old professor, offering a job opportunity she'd dreamed about for years. The fortuitous timing felt almost unbelievable. If the notification had arrived five minutes later, she would have missed the application deadline entirely.

At the airport, Greg spilled orange juice on his shirt, only to realize he’d accidentally sat in the VIP lounge. This fortuitous accident, completely occurring by chance, meant he ended up enjoying a waffle buffet with celebrities, looking stylishly citrus-splattered in every paparazzi photo.

During my disastrous interpretive dance, my pants split wide open. The fortuitous timing of this wardrobe malfunction, happening just as the judge looked up, was a pure chance event that somehow earned me a standing ovation for my apparent vulnerability and “unscripted genius.”

Challenging: Rare, high-register vocabulary for serious word lovers.

A fortuitous encounter at the café changed Maria’s entire week. She had not planned to stop for coffee, but a forgotten umbrella forced her inside. By chance, an old friend recognized her, leading to an unexpected conversation that reignited their long-lost friendship.

My research had stalled, a frustrating impasse with no solution. The fortuitous encounter with a former colleague at a random café was pivotal. Her offhand remark about a tangential study provided the exact catalyst needed to revitalize the entire project, a stroke of pure luck.

The meeting felt fortuitous at first, two strangers colliding in a coffee shop during an unexpected storm. But as they talked, Sarah realized their encounter wasn't random at all. He'd been following her work for months, studying her routines, engineering this moment with meticulous precision that made her skin crawl.

As Gerald absentmindedly ambled into the bakery, a fortuitous event occurred: he tripped over a poodle just as a tray of éclairs launched through the air, landing squarely in his outstretched arms as if choreographed by destiny itself, much to the consternation of the beleaguered barista.

The dignitary was in the middle of a rather grandiloquent speech when a passing pelican, in a completely fortuitous act of aerial incontinence, deposited its lunch directly upon his pate. The resulting tableau was an ignominious, albeit hilarious, testament to the random caprice of the universe.

Difficulty

Normal — Everyday words worth reinforcing.

Appears in

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