noun
serendipity
sehr-uhn-DIHP-ih-tee
noun
1
A pleasant surprise — finding something good without looking for it.
"Meeting my business partner at that conference was pure serendipity."
"It was serendipity that led to the discovery of penicillin."
How to Use Serendipity
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA lucky accident — finding something great when you weren't even looking for it.
Common mistake
Not the same as luck in general — serendipity specifically means finding something good while you were looking for something else.
Common pairings
by serendipity
pure serendipity
a happy serendipity
Word Forms
serendipities plural
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Meeting my business partner at that conference was pure _____.
Etymology
Coined in 1754 by the writer Horace Walpole, based on an old Persian fairy tale, "The Three Princes of Serendip," whose heroes kept stumbling onto good fortune by accident.