What does fortune mean?
Fortune is a noun with two principal meanings that share a common thread of what life hands us beyond our control. In one sense, it refers to luck or chance — the unpredictable force that shapes outcomes, as when a traveler's good fortune spares them a delayed flight. In the other, it denotes substantial wealth, a large accumulation of money or assets, as in someone who made a fortune in business. The two senses are historically linked: in older usage, one's 'fortune' described the overall course of one's life as determined by chance, whether for better or worse. The word carries strong connotations of contingency and reversal, echoed in familiar phrases like 'wheel of fortune' and 'the fortunes of war.' Derived forms such as fortunate, unfortunate, and misfortune extend these ideas into everyday vocabulary, making fortune a foundational word for discussing both luck and riches.
Chance or luck, especially favorable circumstances regarded as shaping human affairs.
"Good fortune smiled on the young entrepreneur when her first product became an overnight success."
Often qualified as 'good' or 'ill' fortune.
A large amount of money or valuable assets.
"That penthouse must have cost him a small fortune."
Frequently used figuratively to mean simply 'very expensive.'
A person's destiny or future, especially as foretold by chance practices such as reading palms or cards.
"A street performer offered to tell her fortune for a few coins."
The plural 'fortunes' may refer to multiple large sums of money, or to the varying circumstances of a person, family, or enterprise over time (as in 'the family fortunes declined').
"The company's fortunes revived dramatically under new management."
The Romans personified fortune as the goddess Fortuna, who spun a wheel deciding each person's fate — which is why we still say 'the wheel of fortune' today.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fortune
Fortune derives from the Latin 'fortuna,' meaning chance or fate, which in turn comes from 'fors' (genitive 'fortis'), the Latin word for chance or luck. The Romans worshipped Fortuna as the goddess who governed the wheel of fate, and the term passed into Old French as 'fortune' before entering Middle English around the medieval period. It shares this Latin root with related words such as 'fortuitous' and 'fortuity,' which likewise describe events occurring by chance.
Related word forms
How fortune is actually used
In its 'luck' sense, fortune is neutral to positive depending on framing ('good fortune' vs. 'ill fortune'). In its wealth sense it often appears figuratively ('costs a fortune'). Plural 'fortunes' can refer to multiple sums of money or, historically, to the changing course of events affecting a family or enterprise (as in 'the fortunes of war').
Easily confused with fortune
Fortune denotes luck or wealth as experienced by someone, while fortuitous describes an event happening by chance rather than by design.