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Definition of "serendipity" [serendipity]

  • The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident. (noun)
  • The fact or occurrence of such discoveries. (noun)
  • An instance of making such a discovery. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "serendipity" in a sentence
  • "The word serendipity comes from the Persian fairy tale"
  • "On January 28, 1754, Horace Walpole coined the term serendipity, which means finding something you're not looking for but which you nonetheless need."
  • "The word "serendipity" comes from the Persian fairy tale "The Three Princes of Serendip," whose heroes "were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of.""