luckiest

IPA/ˈlʌk.i/
KK[lˈʌkiəst]IPA/ˈlʌk.i/

luckiest — adjective

  • luckiestpositive
  • more luckiestcomparative
  • most luckiestsuperlative

1. describes a person who gets better outcomes than others through chance rather th

1.adjectiveA2
Definition

describes a person who gets better outcomes than others through chance rather than effort — for example, winning a prize, surviving a disaster, or finding something valuable without looking

Example

Brandon said he was the luckiest person on earth when his lottery numbers came up.

the + luckiest + noun (person on earth)

After the earthquake, the Watanabe family counted themselves among the luckiest survivors.

Common collocations
  • the luckiest person/one/guy/girl
  • the luckiest people/survivors/winners
  • count yourself among the luckiest
  • feel/look the luckiest
Synonyms
  • most fortunate

    more formal than luckiest; suggests a serious or life-changing outcome rather than everyday good luck

  • blessedest

    very informal and non-standard; 'most blessed' is the conventional form. Rarely used in writing.

  • most favored

    suggests someone was deliberately chosen by fate or a higher power, not just random luck

Antonyms
  • unluckiest

    the direct opposite — having the worst things happen by chance

  • most unfortunate

    more formal and broader than unluckiest; covers both chance and circumstance

Grammar Patterns

the + luckiest + noun

be the luckiest + to-infinitive

be the luckiest + that-clause

Usage Note

Frequently used with the definite article 'the' before it, either attributively (the luckiest person) or predicatively (she is the luckiest). The sense typically compares one person against a group.

Common Mistakes

He is the luckiest person since he won the lottery.
He is the luckiest person because he won the lottery.
'since' can mean 'because', but learners often confuse it with time meaning; use 'because' for clarity.
I am luckiest person in the world.
I am the luckiest person in the world.
the superlative form almost always requires the definite article 'the'.

2. used to say that an object, piece of clothing, or symbol brings more good fortun

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

used to say that an object, piece of clothing, or symbol brings more good fortune than other similar items — for example, a charm carried to exams, a shirt worn during games, or a coin kept in a wallet

Example

Daichi called the worn silver coin his luckiest charm and took it to every exam.

Meera wore her red silk dress to every interview and called it her luckiest outfit.

the + luckiest + noun (outfit)

Common collocations
  • the luckiest charm/coin/outfit/possession
  • my/his/her luckiest [noun]
  • believe/consider/call something the luckiest
Synonyms
  • most charmed

    suggests the object itself is magical or enchanted; more fanciful than luckiest

  • most auspicious

    formal and literary; describes omens or signs rather than everyday objects

  • most propitious

    very formal; describes a favorable time or sign, not an object carried around

Antonyms
  • most unlucky

    the opposite — bringing bad luck instead of good

  • jinxedest

    informal; describes an object that consistently brings bad results

Grammar Patterns

the + luckiest + noun

Usage Note

Almost always attributive — placed before a noun (a lucky charm, the luckiest coin). This sense does not normally appear in predicative position when describing a person (*she is lucky today = she has good luck, NOT she brings luck).

Common Mistakes

This is the luckiest rabbit foot.
This is the luckiest rabbit's foot.
the possessive form is required for items like 'rabbit's foot' or 'lady's slipper'.

3. used to describe an event, coincidence, or situation that happens more by chance

3.adjectiveB2
Definition

used to describe an event, coincidence, or situation that happens more by chance than others — without anyone planning or expecting it, and usually with a positive outcome

Example

Tamar called their meeting at the train station the luckiest coincidence of her life.

the + luckiest + noun (coincidence)

The luckiest break of Pim's career came when a manager read his blog post online.

Common collocations
  • the luckiest coincidence/break/accident
  • a luckiest stroke of fate/chance
  • the luckiest guess/opportunity
Synonyms
  • most fortuitous

    more formal; describes events that happen by chance with a good result

  • most serendipitous

    formal and literary; suggests the chance event led to something delightful or valuable

  • most coincidental

    neutral; focuses on the unlikely timing or alignment, not necessarily the positive outcome

Antonyms
  • most deliberate

    the opposite — planned intentionally, not happening by chance

  • most predictable

    describes events that were expected, the opposite of a lucky surprise

Grammar Patterns

the + luckiest + noun (event/accident/coincidence)

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: sense 3 describes the event itself (a lucky coincidence), not the person who benefits from it. This sense is almost always attributive and pairs with abstract nouns like coincidence, break, accident, stroke, chance, guess.

Common Mistakes

That was a luckiest guess.
That was a lucky guess.
the plain adjective, not the superlative, is correct when you are not making a comparison among several guesses.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe someone in a good situation, but they differ in the source of that goodness. Lucky and luckiest (the most common, everyday word) attribute the outcome to random chance — winning a drawing, finding money, avoiding an accident for no special reason. Fortunate and most fortunate are more formal and often imply that the outcome matters in a life-changing way ('a fortunate recovery from illness'). Blessed / most blessed suggests the good fortune came from a divine or spiritual source rather than from random luck. Favored / most favored implies someone received special treatment from a person or institution ('the most favored candidate'). Charmed / most charmed has a slightly magical, storybook quality — as if luck follows the person everywhere. In casual conversation, luckiest covers all these situations; the others are used when the speaker wants to specify the source of the good fortune.

fortunate ↗blessed ↗favored ↗charmed ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

Prepositions

  • by luck
  • out of luck
  • in luck

Etymology

GermanicMiddle DutchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Luckiest is the superlative form of lucky, formed by adding the suffix -est to the adjective lucky. Lucky itself comes from the noun luck, which entered Middle English around the 1400s from Middle Dutch luk or gelucke, meaning 'good fortune' or 'happiness'. Before that, the root probably goes back to a Germanic word for 'to bend, to bow' — suggesting that luck was originally thought of as something that 'bends toward' or 'comes to' a person. The superlative form luckiest has been in use since at least the 1600s.

First known use

15th century

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4