lucky

The word “lucky” means having good fortune; enjoying favourable outcomes without necessarily earning them. In plain terms, blessed with good fortune, or thought to bring it.

“Lucky” is pronounced LUH-kee (/ˈlʌki/ in IPA).

Here is “lucky” used in a sentence: “She's lucky enough to have never lost a match this season.”

Words with a similar meaning to “lucky” include charmed, fortuitous, fortunate, freak, happy and providential.

The opposite of “lucky” — its antonyms — are cursed, unfortunate and unlucky.

“Lucky” is an adjective.

The word “lucky” comes from Middle English. From Middle English lukky, built from luck plus the adjective-forming suffix -y — essentially "full of luck.".

“Lucky” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

The words are close, but differ slightly in tone. 'Lucky' stresses pure chance, good things happening by accident. 'Fortunate' is a little more formal and often suggests a genuinely favourable situation, whether or not chance was involved. You might feel lucky to win a raffle but fortunate to have a supportive family.

The direct opposite is 'unlucky,' suffering bad fortune or unfavourable outcomes through no fault of your own. Other opposites include unfortunate and hapless, or, more informally, jinxed and cursed. Each describes chance working against someone rather than in their favour, so that outcomes turn out badly.

Luck itself is chance and cannot be controlled, but you can improve your odds. Staying open to opportunities, meeting new people, preparing well, and taking sensible risks all put you in the path of good outcomes more often. What looks like luck is frequently effort meeting opportunity.

Yes, lucky is a positive word, describing good fortune and favourable outcomes. It carries one subtle implication, though: that the good result came by chance rather than being earned. Calling a success 'lucky' can occasionally downplay the skill or hard work behind it, so tone matters.