serendipity
/ˌserənˈdɪpəti/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌserənˈdɪpəti/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌser-ən-ˈdi-pə-tē/ (ame, mw)
serendipity — noun
1. the experience of discovering something pleasant, useful, or valuable without pl
the experience of discovering something pleasant, useful, or valuable without planning it or expecting it — for example, finding a perfect gift in a small shop while walking home on a different route.
The scientist discovered the vaccine by pure serendipity while researching a completely different virus.
by pure serendipity — adverbial phrase for accidental discovery
It was pure serendipity that Mei-Lin ran into an old classmate at Bangkok airport.
it was pure serendipity that [clause] — common sentence pattern
Their meeting was pure serendipity — a wrong train led her to her business partner.
Stumbling upon a hidden waterfall during the hike was a stroke of pure serendipity.
- luck
broader and more general; luck can be good or bad and does not require discovery of something
- chance
focuses on the absence of planning rather than the positive outcome; more neutral in tone
- fortune
more formal and often suggests a larger, life-shaping piece of good luck rather than a single discovery
- accident
can be neutral or negative; does not convey the pleasant or valuable aspect of serendipity
- misfortune
bad luck; the opposite of the positive outcome implied by serendipity
- calamity
a disastrous event, the direct opposite of a pleasant accidental discovery
文法句型
serendipity + of + noun phrase
by + serendipity
a stroke/moment of + serendipity
用法筆記
Serendipity is usually uncountable, meaning it does not normally take a or an. However, fixed phrases like a stroke of serendipity and a moment of serendipity allow countable use. The adjective form is serendipitous (e.g., a serendipitous meeting).