English LexiconFeatured Word of the Day

Serendipity

/ˌsɛr.ənˈdɪp.ɪ.ti/
nounCEFR C1 (Advanced)Top #1500 frequency
Full Thesaurus

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

1 sense
As noun
  1. 1

    The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.

    "A fortunate stroke of serendipity brought the two old university friends together."

Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Synonyms (2)
Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

The term 'serendipity' was coined by Horace Walpole in 1754, derived from the Persian fairy tale 'The Three Princes of Serendip', where the princes made discoveries by accidents and sagacity of things they were not in quest of. The word has evolved to signify fortunate discoveries made by chance.

Quick Vocabulary Retention Check

Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Serendipity"?

Thesaurus & Synonyms Graph

Explore Nuanced Synonyms for "Serendipity"

Discover exact matches, context-specific alternatives, and antonyms with intensity ratings in the VocabDictionary Thesaurus.

View "Serendipity" Synonym Map