happenstance
Unplanned lucky meeting
Happenstance is chance or coincidence—something that happens by accident rather than design.
The word blends "happen" and "circumstance" to emphasize the role of luck: By happenstance, we ended up on the same flight.
It often describes fortunate accidents: It was pure happenstance that I met my future wife at that party.
Unplanned matching of events
- flukeChance stroke of luck
- accidentUnintended harmful event
- randomnessLack of predictable pattern
- probabilityQuantified chance of occurrence
stochastic · aleatory · indeterminate · arbitrary · lottery · odds · roll · gamble
Act of finding something
- windfallUnanticipated lucky gain
- blessingPrayer seeking divine favor
- boonHelpful benefit received
- felicityIntense joy or aptness
synchronicity · providence · fortunate · auspicious · propitious · luck · breakthrough · stumble
Minor unfortunate occurrence
- unintentionalNot done on purpose
- inadvertentDone without intention
- unplannedNot arranged beforehand
- involuntaryNot under conscious control
spontaneous · quirk · anomaly · aberration · oddity · deviation · freak · glitch
Not anticipated beforehand
- unanticipatedNot predicted beforehand
- unforeseenNot predicted or expected
- suddenOccurring without prior notice
- shockViolent sudden disturbance
twist · curveball · jolt · bolt · turnabout · blindside · catch · startle
Predetermined course of events
- kismetPreordained future outcome
- providenceDivine protective care
- karmaSpiritual cause and effect
- predestinationDivinely predetermined fate
foreordained · inevitability · fortune · doom · decree · fatalism · preordained · destined
coincidence
Unplanned matching of events
- flukeChance stroke of luck
- accidentUnintended harmful event
- randomnessLack of predictable pattern
probability · stochastic · aleatory · indeterminate · arbitrary · lottery · odds · roll · gamble · uncertainty
discovery
Act of finding something
felicity · synchronicity · providence · fortunate · auspicious · propitious · luck · breakthrough · stumble · find
mishap
Minor unfortunate occurrence
- unintentionalNot done on purpose
- inadvertentDone without intention
- unplannedNot arranged beforehand
involuntary · spontaneous · quirk · anomaly · aberration · oddity · deviation · freak · glitch · mistake
unexpected
Not anticipated beforehand
- unanticipatedNot predicted beforehand
- unforeseenNot predicted or expected
- suddenOccurring without prior notice
shock · twist · curveball · jolt · bolt · turnabout · blindside · catch · startle · ambush
destiny
Predetermined course of events
- kismetPreordained future outcome
- providenceDivine protective care
- karmaSpiritual cause and effect
predestination · foreordained · inevitability · fortune · doom · decree · fatalism · preordained · destined · written
- encountersencounter, meeting, chance encounter, run-in, close encounter
- fate and chancefate, luck, destiny, fortune, coincidence
- fortunelucky, luck, fortune, fate, destiny
- coincidencescoincidence, fluke, serendipity, synchronicity, twist of fate
- unpredictablessurprises, chance, randomness, uncertainty, unpredictables
- accidentsaccident, car accident, bike accident, mishap, traffic accident
happenstancedesign
Purposeful creative planning
intention · deliberation · planning · premeditation · intentionality
happenstanceinevitability
Quality of being unavoidable
certainty · predetermination · necessity · predestination · determinism