serendipity
noun
ser·en·dip·i·ty
ˌser-ən-ˈdi-pə-tē 
: the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for
also
: an instance of this
Examples of serendipity in a Sentence
As they leapfrog from South Africa to Singapore in search of local delicacies, the authors prove again and again that serendipity is the traveler's strongest ally: many of their most memorable meals issue from the hands of generous strangers …
—
Sarah Karnasiewicz, Saveur, June/July 2008
If reporters fail to keep these files, they seldom luck into bigger stories. Their investigative work typically happens only by design—analyzing the news, for instance—not by serendipity.
—Michael J. Bugeja, Editor & Publisher, 13 Jan. 2003
A week earlier, the doctor would have had no recourse but to make an incision in the baby's skin to get to a vein—a precarious option now, since time was running short and it would take nearly half an hour to assemble the necessary equipment. But in an extraordinary bit of serendipity, Hanson had attended a seminar on emergency medical care for children just a week before.
—David Ruben, Parenting, December/January 1996
They found each other by pure serendipity.
Sarah Karnasiewicz, Saveur, June/July 2008
If reporters fail to keep these files, they seldom luck into bigger stories. Their investigative work typically happens only by design—analyzing the news, for instance—not by serendipity.
—Michael J. Bugeja, Editor & Publisher, 13 Jan. 2003
A week earlier, the doctor would have had no recourse but to make an incision in the baby's skin to get to a vein—a precarious option now, since time was running short and it would take nearly half an hour to assemble the necessary equipment. But in an extraordinary bit of serendipity, Hanson had attended a seminar on emergency medical care for children just a week before.
—David Ruben, Parenting, December/January 1996
They found each other by pure serendipity.
Recent Examples on the Web
And there’s an extra-righteous serendipity to the performance and that ending.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2024
In a stroke of surreal serendipity, Don Larsen — who authored the franchise’s first perfect game in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series — had thrown out the ceremonial first pitch at Yankee Stadium that day to his history-making battery mate, Yogi Berra, as part of a celebration for the latter.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 24 Mar. 2024
Yet the best card in Lula’s deck is simple serendipity.
—Matias Spektor, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2024
Schmidt wasn't looking to validate any of Pettit's observations per se, but the two researchers were working relatively close by, on the same ice shelf, so serendipity could play a role.
—Douglas Fox, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2022
See all Example Sentences for serendipity 
A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2024
In a stroke of surreal serendipity, Don Larsen — who authored the franchise’s first perfect game in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series — had thrown out the ceremonial first pitch at Yankee Stadium that day to his history-making battery mate, Yogi Berra, as part of a celebration for the latter.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 24 Mar. 2024
Yet the best card in Lula’s deck is simple serendipity.
—Matias Spektor, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2024
Schmidt wasn't looking to validate any of Pettit's observations per se, but the two researchers were working relatively close by, on the same ice shelf, so serendipity could play a role.
—Douglas Fox, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2022
See all Example Sentences for serendipity
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'serendipity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near serendipity
Cite this Entry
“Serendipity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/serendipity. Accessed 27 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
serendipity
noun
ser·en·dip·i·ty
ˌser-ən-ˈdip-ət-ē
: the gift of finding valuable or agreeable things not looked for
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