Make Your Point > Archived Issues > FORTUITOUS

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connect today's word to others: Fortuitous means "caused by fortune: happening because of random causes instead of predictable causes." Fortuitous events can be bad, neutral, or good. I hope yours are good--even  s________tous, or "accidentally, unexpectedly, randomly, wonderfully, happily lucky." (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "FORTUITOUS" "Fortuitous" is closely related to the word "fortune." (Think of how fortune is chance or luck, how you might have good fortune or bad fortune, and how fortunate people and events are lucky, or blessed by fortune.)  So, something fortuitous happens (or seems to happen) for no other reason than fortune, good or bad or neutral. In other words, fortuitous things happen randomly, accidentally, or by chance. Let's say that another way. Fortuitous things are either happening in a random way, OR happening in a random but lucky way. Pronunciation: for TOO ih tuss Part of speech: Adjective. (Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late." They can be used in two ways: 1. Right before a noun, as in "a fortuitous thing." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was fortuitous.") Other forms: fortuitously, fortuity ("for TOO ih tee") or fortuitousness ("for TOO ih tuss ness") How to use it: When you need to be formal, pick "fortuitous" over simpler words like "unplanned," "random," and "chance." Although I just said that this word has two meanings--both "random" and "randomly lucky"--not all dictionaries agree that the second meaning is acceptable. So if you like to be extra careful with words, and you don't want people assuming you're being pretentious by swapping in the fancier "fortuitous" for the simpler "fortunate," then make sure you stick to the first meaning only: "random, based on fortune, happening purely by chance." In other words, if you mean "fortunate," then I suggest you say "fortunate." And if you mean "unpredictable, as if fortune alone caused it," then say "fortuitous." Talk about fortuitous moments and days, fortuitous events and incidents, fortuitous circumstances and situations, fortuitous coincidences, fortuitous meetings and conversations, fortuitous combinations, and fortuitous mistakes and injuries. Or, say it's fortuitous that something happens: "It's fortuitous that he was walking by just as I wished I could speak with him." examples: The show "Dead Like Me" starts with George taking a fortuitous toilet seat to the head. Space station litter, you know, from Mir. That Doon was first assigned the Messenger job was entirely fortuitous--the mayor had written the jobs on slips of paper that the children then drew from a faded drawstring bag. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "fortuitous" means when you can explain it without saying "without any logical cause" or "incidental." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "You can't (make or accomplish) _____ with just any fortuitous combination of _____." Example: "You can't make a pop song that speaks to the heart with just any fortuitous combination of threadbare phrases and key words like 'love' and 'baby.'" before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. This month, we're playing with The Devil’s Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce. It's a collection of silly, sarcastic, satirical definitions of everyday words, and--lucky us!--it's in the public domain. In each issue this month, I'll give you one of Bierce's definitions and, if it's a tough one, I'll give you the word's first letter. And you try to come up with the word. From our previous issue: Bierce defines it as "a blessing that is of no advantage to us excepting when we part with it. An evidence of culture and a passport to polite society." It's a noun. What is it? Answer: Money. Try this today: Bierce defines it as "a large bird whose flesh when eaten on certain religious anniversaries has the peculiar property of attesting piety and gratitude. Incidentally, it is pretty good eating." It's a noun. What is it? review today's word: 1. A close opposite of FORTUITOUS is A. EXPOSED B. DESIGNED C. WEAKENED 2. We met fortuitously, _____. A. at the front of the line for the concert; in our excitement, we had each arrived extremely early B. on a day when she wasn't even scheduled for a shift but stopped by the store anyway C. both of us eager readers assigned to the advanced reading class Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. B 2. B