Serendipity — Word of the Day December 20, 2026

Definition

The happy occurrence of unplanned discoveries. Life's best turns are often the result of serendipity rather than planning.

“Sheer serendipity brought the two scientists to the same conference where their ideas clicked.”

Coined by Horace Walpole in 1754 after the Persian fairy tale of the Three Princes of Serendip.

S₁E₁R₁E₁N₁D₂I₁P₃I₁T₁Y₄

SERENDIPITY scores 17 points in Scrabble.