chance event
2
3.4
- noun
- A series of chance events has brought me to Paris.
Examples
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The project's success was attributed to a chance event that brought together the right people.
-
Although Heereboord admits the possibility of chance events, he states that these events might be considered to happen by chance only concerning the secondary causes that contribute to producing them.
Academic text (2016) -
However, his position entails that natural teleology in a given entity must be explained by referring to the nature of that very thing, since teleological processes are produced by an internal principle (contrary to chance events produced by external causes).
Academic text (2016) -
A chance event led her to discover her hidden talent for painting.
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They often discuss how chance events shaped their lives in unexpected ways.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
An event that happens suddenly and is not expected
452
3.4
A surprising event that happens at the same time as another by chance
154
1.0
An unexpected event that happens by chance
14
8.5
A chance event that seems planned but is actually an accident
7
9.9
An event that happens by chance
1
9.1
An unexpected event that happens by chance
Antonyms
How Lucky
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an event that happens unexpectedly or by accident' is directly derived from combining 'chance' (randomness/accident) with 'event' (occurrence). This compositional pattern is regular and mirrored in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily understand the phrase.
Etymology
Chance event is like a roll of the dice, where chance, meaning luck, decides the event. That's why it means 'something that happens by accident' or 'without a clear cause'.