Words / C2

ser-uh-n-DIP-uh-tee/ˌserənˈdɪpəti/

Serendipity is the luck of finding something useful or delightful by chance — happy accident with a gift attached. Luck is everyday and broader; chance is bleaker. Serendipitous is the adjective, and it is a cultured, slightly pleased word for essays, reviews, and talks. In speech, a lucky find or as it happened is enough — it is not fate, and it is not mere randomness without a good result.

Meaning

The luck of finding something good by chance.

Examples

• “By serendipity she found the exact book she needed.”
• “By serendipity the lost letter was in the wrong archive box.”
• “The collaboration began in serendipity: two cancelled trains and one café.”

Good to know

Lucky useful chance. Adjective: serendipitous. Everyday: a lucky find. Not fate, and not chance without a good result.

Near in meaning

luck

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