What does fortunately mean?
Fortunately is an adverb used to signal that something has happened by lucky chance or with a happy outcome. It belongs to the family of sentence adverbs — words that express the speaker's attitude toward an entire statement rather than modifying a single verb. Placed most often at the beginning of a sentence ('Fortunately, the delay caused no problems'), it frames the events that follow as a stroke of good luck. The word carries a positive connotation and pairs naturally with its opposite, unfortunately, which marks bad luck in exactly the same structural role. Fortunately works equally well in casual conversation and formal prose, though careful writers use evaluative adverbs like it judiciously. Its lineage is genuinely old: it descends from Latin roots tied to fortuna, the concept — and Roman goddess — of luck, giving this everyday word a pedigree stretching back two millennia.
adverbUsed to indicate that a particular circumstance or outcome is lucky or favorable; it functions as a sentence adverb expressing that something good happened by chance or against expectation.
- As a sentence adverb: it is lucky or fortunate that a stated thing happened (e.g. 'Fortunately, the fire was discovered early').
"Fortunately, the rain stopped just before the ceremony began."
"Fortunately, the pilot managed an emergency landing without any injuries."
"I'd left my umbrella at home, but fortunately the storm held off until evening."
Fortunately traces back to 'fortuna' — the name ancient Romans gave to the goddess of luck herself.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fortunately
Fortunately derives from 'fortunate', which in turn comes from Latin 'fortunatus', meaning 'made prosperous or happy', rooted in 'fortuna', the Latin word for luck and chance personified by the Roman goddess Fortuna. The adjective 'fortunate' entered English via Old French in the medieval period, and the adverb 'fortunately' emerged later, becoming well established by the early modern period. It shares this Latin ancestry with related terms such as 'fortuitous', 'misfortune', and its own opposite, 'unfortunately'.
Related word forms
How fortunately is actually used
Fortunately typically appears at the start of a clause or sentence, often set off by a comma when doing so. It is a comment adverb (or 'disjunct'): rather than describing the verb itself, it conveys the speaker's evaluation of the whole situation. Its tone is neutral-to-positive and works in both formal and informal contexts, though in formal writing it should be used sparingly since it expresses personal judgment.
Easily confused with fortunately
Fortunately signals a lucky or favorable outcome, while unfortunately signals an unlucky or unfavorable one.