for ‧ tu ‧ nate S3 /ˈfɔːtʃ ə nət $ ˈfɔːr-/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ fortune , ↑ misfortune , ↑ unfortunate ; adverb : ↑ fortunately ≠ ↑ unfortunately ; adjective : ↑ fortunate ≠ ↑ unfortunate ]
1 . someone who is fortunate has something good happen to them, or is in a good situation SYN lucky
fortunate to do something
I’ve been fortunate to find a career that I love.
I was fortunate enough to obtain a research studentship at Stanford.
fortunate in doing something
She felt fortunate in being able to please herself where she lived.
fortunate that
I’m fortunate that I have such an understanding wife.
more/less fortunate than somebody
We’ve been more fortunate than a lot of farmers.
2 . a fortunate event is one in which something good happens by chance, especially when this saves you from trouble or danger SYN lucky :
By a fortunate coincidence, a passer-by heard her cries for help.
3 . the less fortunate people who are poor:
We should all consider the plight of the less fortunate.
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THESAURUS
▪ lucky happening because of good luck, or bringing you good luck:
a lucky guess
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Seven is considered a lucky number.
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It’s lucky that I’ve got some spare keys.
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Italy got a lucky goal in the last five minutes of the game.
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‘How did you know he’d be there?’ ‘It was a lucky guess.’
▪ fortunate happening because of good luck. Fortunate is more formal than lucky :
It was extremely fortunate that there was no one in the building when the bomb went off.
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I’m in the fortunate position of doing a job I love.
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Some plants actually prefer a lot of shade, which is fortunate for gardeners choosing plants for gloomy corners.
▪ it’s a good thing (that) ( also it’s a good job (that) British English ) spoken used when saying that there would have been problems if something had not happened:
It’s a good thing that you brought an umbrella with you.
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It’s a good job I’m here to help.
▪ miraculous extremely lucky in a way that is almost unbelievable:
A teenager had a miraculous escape last night when the car she was travelling in overturned.
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The doctor gave her a month to live but she made a miraculous recovery.
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It was miraculous that no one was seriously injured in the accident.
▪ fortuitous /fɔːˈtjuːətəs $ fɔːrˈtuː-, fɔːˈtjuːɪtəs $ fɔːrˈtuː-/ formal happening because of good luck:
a fortuitous decision
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a fortuitous coincidence
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It was fortuitous that no one else was hurt.
▪ a fluke /fluːk/ informal something that happens by chance, not because of skill or good judgement:
The goal was a fluke.
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By a fluke, he managed to get the question right.
▪ be in the right place at the right time used when saying that someone is lucky and the situation is right for them:
Making money from buying property is easy – you just have to be in the right place at the right time.