"happenstance" meaning in English

See happenstance in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈhæpənˌstæns/ [General-American], /ˈhap(ə)nˌstans/ [UK] Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-happenstance.wav [Southern-England] Forms: happenstances [plural]
Etymology: Blend of happening + circumstance. Etymology templates: {{blend|en|happening|circumstance}} Blend of happening + circumstance Head templates: {{en-noun|~}} happenstance (countable and uncountable, plural happenstances)
  1. (uncountable) The chance or random quality of an event or circumstance. Tags: uncountable Synonyms: accident, chance, coincidence, happenchance
    Sense id: en-happenstance-en-noun-KNJgHxVE Categories (other): English blends, English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of English blends: 66 34 Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 70 30
  2. (countable) A chance or random event or circumstance. Tags: countable
    Sense id: en-happenstance-en-noun-tbW5xtYw
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Derived forms: happenstantial, happenstantially Translations: náhoda [feminine] (Czech), toeval (Dutch), hasard [masculine] (French), Zufall [masculine] (German), zufälliger Umstand [masculine] (German), per caso (Italian), accidentia [feminine] (Latin), întâmplare [feminine] (Romaniann), casualidad [masculine] (Spanish), damwain [feminine] (Welsh), hap [feminine] (Welsh)

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for happenstance meaning in English (3.7kB)

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "happenstantial"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "happenstantially"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "happening",
        "3": "circumstance"
      },
      "expansion": "Blend of happening + circumstance",
      "name": "blend"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Blend of happening + circumstance.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "happenstances",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~"
      },
      "expansion": "happenstance (countable and uncountable, plural happenstances)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "66 34",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English blends",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "70 30",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "by happenstance",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1964, Goldfinger, spoken by James Bond (Sean Connery)",
          "text": "Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2001, “People Talkin'”, in MTV Unplugged, performed by Jay-Z",
          "text": "Dammit, man this is the gift from God / This ain't happenstance",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The chance or random quality of an event or circumstance."
      ],
      "id": "en-happenstance-en-noun-KNJgHxVE",
      "links": [
        [
          "chance",
          "chance"
        ],
        [
          "random",
          "random"
        ],
        [
          "event",
          "event"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(uncountable) The chance or random quality of an event or circumstance."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "accident"
        },
        {
          "word": "chance"
        },
        {
          "word": "coincidence"
        },
        {
          "word": "happenchance"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Our meeting today was a happenstance, but I'm glad we crossed paths.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "the happenstances of life",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A chance or random event or circumstance."
      ],
      "id": "en-happenstance-en-noun-tbW5xtYw",
      "links": [
        [
          "chance",
          "chance"
        ],
        [
          "random",
          "random"
        ],
        [
          "event",
          "event"
        ],
        [
          "circumstance",
          "circumstance"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(countable) A chance or random event or circumstance."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈhæpənˌstæns/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈhap(ə)nˌstans/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-happenstance.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fd/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-happenstance.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-happenstance.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fd/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-happenstance.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-happenstance.wav.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Southern-England"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (Southern England)"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "náhoda"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "word": "toeval"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "hasard"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Zufall"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "zufälliger Umstand"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "word": "per caso"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "code": "la",
      "lang": "Latin",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "accidentia"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romaniann",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "întâmplare"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "casualidad"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "code": "cy",
      "lang": "Welsh",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "damwain"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "code": "cy",
      "lang": "Welsh",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "hap"
    }
  ],
  "word": "happenstance"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English 3-syllable words",
    "English blends",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "English uncountable nouns"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "happenstantial"
    },
    {
      "word": "happenstantially"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "happening",
        "3": "circumstance"
      },
      "expansion": "Blend of happening + circumstance",
      "name": "blend"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Blend of happening + circumstance.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "happenstances",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~"
      },
      "expansion": "happenstance (countable and uncountable, plural happenstances)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "English uncountable nouns"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "by happenstance",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1964, Goldfinger, spoken by James Bond (Sean Connery)",
          "text": "Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2001, “People Talkin'”, in MTV Unplugged, performed by Jay-Z",
          "text": "Dammit, man this is the gift from God / This ain't happenstance",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The chance or random quality of an event or circumstance."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "chance",
          "chance"
        ],
        [
          "random",
          "random"
        ],
        [
          "event",
          "event"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(uncountable) The chance or random quality of an event or circumstance."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "accident"
        },
        {
          "word": "chance"
        },
        {
          "word": "coincidence"
        },
        {
          "word": "happenchance"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English countable nouns",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Our meeting today was a happenstance, but I'm glad we crossed paths.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "the happenstances of life",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A chance or random event or circumstance."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "chance",
          "chance"
        ],
        [
          "random",
          "random"
        ],
        [
          "event",
          "event"
        ],
        [
          "circumstance",
          "circumstance"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(countable) A chance or random event or circumstance."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈhæpənˌstæns/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈhap(ə)nˌstans/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-happenstance.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fd/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-happenstance.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-happenstance.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fd/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-happenstance.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-happenstance.wav.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Southern-England"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (Southern England)"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "náhoda"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "word": "toeval"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "hasard"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Zufall"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "zufälliger Umstand"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "word": "per caso"
    },
    {
      "code": "la",
      "lang": "Latin",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "accidentia"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romaniann",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "întâmplare"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "casualidad"
    },
    {
      "code": "cy",
      "lang": "Welsh",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "damwain"
    },
    {
      "code": "cy",
      "lang": "Welsh",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "hap"
    }
  ],
  "word": "happenstance"
}
{
  "called_from": "page/2517",
  "msg": "UNIMPLEMENTED parse_translation_template: trans-top-see {1: 'chance or random quality of an event', 2: 'chance'}",
  "path": [
    "happenstance",
    "trans-top-see"
  ],
  "section": "English",
  "subsection": "noun",
  "title": "happenstance",
  "trace": ""
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-30 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (210104c and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.