Word meaning
serendipity
noun · sair-en-DIP-ih-tee
What does serendipity mean?
Serendipity means the happy accident of finding something good without looking for it.
Serendipity in a sentence
“By pure serendipity, she met her future business partner in a delayed-flight line.”
Synonyms for serendipity
- luck
- fortune
- happy chance
Where does serendipity come from?
Coined by Horace Walpole in 1754, after a Persian fairy tale, "The Three Princes of Serendip."
How to remember serendipity
- Say it out loud a few times: sair-en-DIP-ih-tee.
- Write one sentence of your own using serendipity, about something that happened to you today.
- Quiz yourself tomorrow, in three days, and next week. Spaced reviews are what make new words stick.
More words worth knowing
- virtuoso — a person highly skilled in music or another artistic pursuit.
- plethora — a large or excessive amount of something.
- enigma — a person or thing that is mysterious or difficult to understand.
- tangential — diverging from a previous course; only slightly relevant.
- flourish — to grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way; to thrive.
- coherent — logical and consistent; able to speak clearly.