serendipity
/ˌsɛr.ənˈdɪp.ɪ.ti/The experience of finding something good or valuable by accident, while looking for something else. It is a pleasant surprise that you did not plan. The feeling is warm and almost magical.
- Meeting my best friend on that flight was pure serendipity.
- The scientist's greatest discovery came by serendipity, not design.
- Their romance began with a moment of serendipity at the bookshop.
Adinary Nuance
Serendipity is often confused with luck, chance, and coincidence, but each word means something slightly different. Luck is the broadest — it can be good or bad ("bad luck"), and it doesn't require any discovery or surprise. Chance is purely neutral; it just means randomness, with no emotional color at all. Coincidence describes two things happening at the same time — it is not necessarily positive and involves no discovery. Serendipity is uniquely specific: you find something good while searching for something else entirely, and there is always a sense of wonder or delight. Choose serendipity when you want to capture that magical quality of stumbling upon something wonderful — it is the most poetic and precise of these near-neighbors.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- Sự tình cờ may mắn
- Spanish
- Casualidad afortunada
- Chinese
- 意外的好运
- Japanese
- 幸運な偶然の発見
- Korean
- 우연한 행운
Etymology
Coined in 1754 by English writer Horace Walpole, inspired by a Persian fairy tale called "The Three Princes of Serendip" — "Serendip" being an old Arabic name for Sri Lanka. Walpole used it to describe making happy discoveries by accident.
Common phrases
Synonyms
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Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between serendipity and luck?
- Luck is general — it can be good or bad, and it needs no discovery. Serendipity is always positive and always involves finding something good while looking for something different. Serendipity is more specific, more poetic, and carries a sense of wonder that 'luck' does not.
- Is serendipity a formal or informal word?
- Serendipity sits in a middle register — it is literary and slightly formal, but widely used in everyday conversation, essays, and IELTS writing alike. It sounds natural in both a heartfelt story and an academic reflection on scientific discovery.
- Can I use serendipity in IELTS writing?
- Yes, and it can impress examiners when used correctly. It works especially well in IELTS essays about discovery, innovation, relationships, or travel. Avoid forcing it in — use it only when the meaning truly fits: an accidental, happy finding.
- Is serendipity a countable or uncountable noun?
- It is almost always used as an uncountable noun, so you say 'a moment of serendipity' or 'pure serendipity' — not 'a serendipity'. Some writers use 'a serendipity' informally, but this is rare and may sound unnatural to native speakers.