Tuesday word: Serendipity

[simplyn2deep]

Tuesday, January 27, 2026

Serendipity (noun)
serendipity [ser-uhn-dip-i-tee]

noun, plural serendipities
1. an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.
2. accidental discovery, or an instance of this: Alton’s premiere novel was a serendipity that affected my thinking in the most positive way.
3. good fortune; luck: What serendipity—she got the first job she applied for!

Other Word Forms
serendipiter noun
serendipitist noun
serendipitous adjective
serendipper noun

Related Words
fluke, happenstance

See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com

Origin: 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
New ideas spring, as if by serendipity, from individuals.
From The Wall Street Journal

“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.
From The Wall Street Journal

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.
From The Wall Street Journal

Then in the 1940s, "serendipity" catapulted it into the big time, says Prof Silhavy.
From BBC

Now YOU come up with a sentence (or fic? or graphic?) that best illustrates the word.