fortunate
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
having good luck or being successful, often because you are in a good situation.
favoured by fortune; possessing good luck or having a successful status in life.
Simple“He was fortunate to have a supportive family who helped him through university.”
In context“The young entrepreneur was fortunate enough to secure venture capital just weeks before the market downturn began.”
UsageOften followed by an infinitive verb phrase, such as 'fortunate to be' or 'fortunate to have'.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
happening by a lucky accident or at a good time.
occurring by favourable chance; auspicious or timely in a way that brings benefits.
Simple“It was a fortunate coincidence that we both arrived at the station at the same time.”
In context“The discovery of the original manuscript was a fortunate event that forced historians to revise their understanding of the period.”
SynonymsAntonyms
“I struggled to lock the back tire to anything, and I considered myself fortunate to not have to figure out how to deal with a flat.”
“Manchester City under a new manager were poor and fortunate to overcome Bournemouth .”
From Middle English fortunat(e) (“fortunate”), from Latin fortūnātus, from fortūna (“fortune, luck”) + -ātus (adjective-forming suffix), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix). See also Middle English fortunaten (“to assure the success (of), make fortunate”); cognate with French fortuné (“lucky”). By surface analysis, fortune + -ate.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.