Fortunate means lucky or blessed with good circumstances. When something good happens that you didn't necessarily earn or expect, you're fortunate. A student who studied hard but also got the exact questions they knew best on the test feels fortunate. A family that avoided a tornado that struck nearby towns feels fortunate to be safe.

The word carries a sense of gratitude along with the luck. Being fortunate means recognizing when things work out better than they might have, whether through chance or circumstances beyond your control. If you're born into a loving family, live in a safe neighborhood, or have access to good schools and healthcare, you're fortunate in ways that matter deeply, even if you don't think about them every day.

You can be fortunate in small ways too. Finding the last cookie in the jar, getting picked first for kickball, or having your birthday fall on a weekend are all fortunate moments. When someone says “I was fortunate enough to...” they're acknowledging that something good happened that might not have.

The opposite is unfortunate, meaning unlucky or regrettable. A fortunate person experiences good luck; an unfortunate person experiences bad luck or difficult circumstances through no fault of their own.