serendipity
Americannoun
plural
serendipities-
an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.
-
accidental discovery, or an instance of this.
Alton’s premiere novel was a serendipity that affected my thinking in the most positive way.
-
good fortune; luck.
What serendipity—she got the first job she applied for!
noun
Other Word Forms
- serendipiter noun
- serendipitist noun
- serendipitous adjective
- serendipper noun
Etymology
Origin of serendipity
Serendip + -ity; coined in 1754 by English novelist Horace Walpole ( def. ) for an ability possessed by the heroes of a fairy tale called The Three Princes of Serendip, using a former name for Sri Lanka
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
New ideas spring, as if by serendipity, from individuals.
“Gen Z wants to connect authentically. They believe in romance. They’re open to serendipity,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times
When you’re just another tourist following a well-trodden itinerary, serendipity is rare, but the Georgian hinterland seems to regularly yield chance happenings.
She felt relying heavily on AI to source investment opportunities could kill the serendipity of scouting for deals, which can uncover talented entrepreneurs in unsuspecting ways.
Then in the 1940s, "serendipity" catapulted it into the big time, says Prof Silhavy.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
