happenstance

English

Etymology

Blend of happening +‎ circumstance.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈhæpənˌstæns/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈhap(ə)nˌstans/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

happenstance (countable and uncountable, plural happenstances)

1. (uncountable) The chance or random quality of an event or circumstance.

   Synonyms: accident, chance, coincidence, happenchance

   by happenstance

   • 1964, Goldfinger, spoken by James Bond (Sean Connery):

     Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action.

   • 2001, “People Talkin'”, in MTV Unplugged, performed by Jay-Z:

     Dammit, man this is the gift from God / This ain't happenstance

2. (countable) A chance or random event or circumstance.

   Our meeting today was a happenstance, but I'm glad we crossed paths.

   the happenstances of life

Derived terms

• happenstantial
• happenstantially

Translations

chance or random quality of an event — see also chance

• Czech: náhoda (cs) f
• Dutch: toeval (nl)
• French: hasard (fr) m
• German: Zufall (de) m, zufälliger Umstand m
• Italian: per caso
• Latin: accidentia f
• Romanian: întâmplare (ro) f
• Spanish: casualidad (es) m
• Welsh: damwain (cy) f, hap f

Further reading

• “happenstance”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.