fortuitous
[fôrˈto͞oədəs]
ADJECTIVE
happening by accident or chance rather than design. "the similarity between the paintings may not be simply fortuitous" synonyms: chance · unexpected · unanticipated · unpredictable · unforeseen ·
happening by a lucky chance; fortunate. "from a cash standpoint, the company's timing is fortuitous"
There are many occasions to use this wonderful word. I used to use the synonym "serendipity" quite a lot until there was a popular movie by that name. Then, as wonderfully-expressive-but-rarely-used-words are wont to do in this instance, it became a bit too mainstream for me. I can't have people think that I am using the word just because of the movie, now, can I?!
There is also the tendency to get "fortuitous" mixed up with "fortunate". While they are certainly related, they are not interchangeable. Fortuitous has the added mystery of being out of the blue. Like a chance meeting just as you were thinking of someone. A wonderfully pleasant surprise.
Like my last post indicated, my aunt asked whether or not I had posted any "Wednesday Word" updates lately. It was fortuitous that she asked, since I had been thinking about it, and fortunate that I had already started this post.
Have a GREAT day, and I hope something fortuitous happens to you today!
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