fortunately

American  

[fawr-chuh-nit-lee] / ˈfɔr tʃə nɪt li /

adverb

1. it is fortunate that.

   The groceries cost more than I thought they would, but fortunately I had just enough money with me.

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fortunately British  

/ ˈfɔːtʃənɪtlɪ /

adverb

1. (sentence modifier) it is fortunate that; luckily

2. in a fortunate manner

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Etymology

Origin of fortunately

First recorded in 1540–60; fortunate ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Example Sentences

The rest of the team did not acknowledge him and I was seething, but fortunately I decided to wait before dealing with him.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

And fortunately for their self-esteem, investors are increasingly likely to buy and sell exchange-traded funds tracking whole sectors rather than individual stocks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 2, 2026

And fortunately enough, everybody’s interests were aligned on that.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2025

"They gave it everything they had. Unfortunately somebody's got to win that game and fortunately for the Dodgers we got Freddie Freeman on our team."

From Barron's • Oct. 28, 2025

The house was dark and damp-feeling even in the daytime, but fortunately the boy was used to it and walked right in.

From "The Great Gilly Hopkins" by Katherine Paterson