serendipitous
10
7.4
- adjective
- /ˌsɛrənˈdɪpɪtəs/
:
fortuito
- I wander into a nearby Gadaba village at a most serendipitous moment.
- a serendipitous discovery
- a serendipitous moment
- a serendipitous finding
So a big reason this is kind of a serendipitous moment.
- So a big reason this is kind of a serendipitous moment.
- I was just, it was, it was serendipitous.
- But instead, let's connect our red phones and make ourselves available for those small, serendipitous moments when someone needs us.
- It was just a serendipitous lining up of a need for a slightly anarchic approach.
- OK, they could be serendipitous because you're searching for those things, but just know what you stand for.
- So if, if you're open to serendipitous good things randomly happening to you in life, they most likely will happen.
- That warm and bracing and look, you know, serendipitous.
- What do you like old people say when with something that's great, with serendipitous?
Examples
-
During this time, a number of positive outcomes (both anticipated and serendipitous) have been noticed.
Academic text (2011) -
For many centuries, materials were discovered, mined, and processed in a largely serendipitous way.
Academic text (1999) -
All I am sure of is that when it does happen, it is usually serendipitous, unexpected, and a surprise to all.
Fiction book (1996) -
It's one of those serendipitous moments in life when three complete strangers share a common thought.
-
Then Rontgen made one of the most bizarre and serendipitous observations in the history of science.
Academic text (1995) -
And I thought it was just so serendipitous that your first book was about Harriet Tubman.
-
So if, if you're open to serendipitous good things randomly happening to you in life, they most likely will happen.
-
You're going to meet a ton of super fun people, and you're going to have serendipitous experiences that delight you.
-
Andrea Cupp made a serendipitous discovery when she was a postdoctoral fellow at Washington State University:
Academic text (2013) -
We stumbled upon a serendipitous discovery that led us to a beautiful hidden beach.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Having good things happen by chance
15
7.3
Happening by chance in a lucky or helpful way
Antonyms
How Fortunate
Surface Forms
Morphology
serendipitous = serendipity (semi-transparent) = serendipity + ous
The adjective is a regular suffixal derivation from the noun 'serendipity', but the base noun itself is a lexicalized coinage rather than a transparently compositional English word.
Etymology
Serendipitous comes from serendipity, a word inspired by the old name Serendip for Sri Lanka and a tale about three princes who kept finding useful things by chance. So, to be serendipitous means a 'happy accident' or finding something good 'by chance'.