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Lucky Meaning, Examples, and Usage in English (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：Fortunate by chance (lucky)

lucky 🔊

/ˈlʌki/

adj.

When someone is lucky, good things happen to them more often than usual, often not because of their own effort but by chance.

Lucky person holding lottery ticket with joyful expression and golden confetti

Fortunate by chance 🔊

➕

/ˈfɔːrtʃənət baɪ tʃæns/

adj.

When someone is lucky, they experience positive events more often by accident, not because of their own actions.

📁 Category：Physical & Mental Health 🔖 Level：Elementary

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Middle English 'lucky' (from 'luck' + '-y'), meaning 'having good fortune'.

💡 Mnemonic

Think 'Luck + Y': A smiling person holding a four-leaf clover—good luck sticks to them like the letter Y.

📖 Example

He felt incredibly lucky to have found his lost dog waiting for him at the park gate. 🔊 He felt incredibly lucky to have found his lost dog waiting for him at the park gate.

🔗 Collocations

lucky break – An unexpected opportunity or piece of good fortune

lucky charm – An object believed to bring good luck

lucky escape – A narrow avoidance of danger or harm

🔄 Synonyms

fortunate (adj.) – Having good luck; favorable circumstances

blessed (adj.) – Receiving divine favor or good fortune

serendipitous (adj.) – Occurring by chance in a happy or beneficial way

🚫 Antonyms

unlucky (adj.) – Having bad luck; unfortunate

cursed (adj.) – Suffering under a curse; extremely unlucky

hapless (adj.) – Unfortunate; having no luck

🌱 Derivatives

luck (n.) – Success or failure seemingly brought by chance

luckily (adv.) – In a lucky manner; fortunately

luckiness (n.) – The state or quality of being lucky

📖 Cultural Story

In many cultures, 'lucky' objects like four-leaf clovers or horseshoes originate from ancient Celtic and European folklore, where such items were believed to ward off evil and attract positive outcomes.

Meaning 2：Thought to bring good luck (lucky)

lucky 🔊

/ˈlʌki/

adj.

When an object is called lucky, people believe it can bring good luck, like a special stone or a rabbit's foot.

Green four-leaf clover on moss with magical sunlight and dewdrop

Thought to bring good luck 🔊

➕

/θɔːt tuː brɪŋ ɡʊd lʌk/

adj.

An object is called lucky when it is superstitiously believed to bring good fortune to its owner, like a rabbit's foot or a certain gemstone.

📁 Category：Culture & History 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

She always wears her lucky bracelet to important exams, believing it helps her stay calm. 🔊 She always wears her lucky bracelet to important exams, believing it helps her stay calm.

🔗 Collocations

lucky charm – An object believed to bring good luck

lucky ring – A ring worn for good luck in specific events

lucky stone – A small stone or crystal thought to attract good fortune

🔄 Synonyms

auspicious (adj.) – Conducive to success; favorable

propitious (adj.) – Indicating a good chance of success; favorable

charmed (adj.) – Protected by or as if by a charm; lucky

🚫 Antonyms

unlucky (adj.) – Considered to bring bad luck

jinxed (adj.) – Thought to bring bad luck; cursed

ominous (adj.) – Giving the impression that something bad will happen