coincidence

noun

co·​in·​ci·​dence kō-ˈin(t)-sə-dən(t)s How to pronounce coincidence (audio)
-sə-ˌden(t)s
1
: the act or condition of coinciding : correspondence
… a perfect coincidence between truth and goodness …Robert South
2
: the occurrence of events that happen at the same time by accident but seem to have some connection
… causal connection requires something more than mere coincidence as to time and place …Wayne R. LaFave
also : any of these occurrences

Examples of coincidence in a Sentence

It was mere coincidence that brought them together so far from Chicago. By coincidence, every man in the room was named Fred. “I'm going to Boston this weekend.” “What a coincidence! I am too.” It was no coincidence that he quit his job at the bank a day after the robbery. a series of strange coincidences By a fortunate coincidence, we arrived at the theater at the same time. Scientists have no explanation for the coincidence of these phenomena.
Recent Examples on the Web That this event will occur in a public garden rather than an art institution is no coincidence: Quinn has long sought to break out of the white cube to reach a wider audience. Julie Belcove, Robb Report, 16 Mar. 2024 That her children only start to appreciate her when she's gone is no coincidence. Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2024 If Lupita Nyong'o's 2024 Oscars look seems familiar, that's no coincidence. Marci Robin, Allure, 11 Mar. 2024 In an eerie coincidence, the designer Catherine Maladrino produced a flag shirtdress just before 9/11 that Halle Berry, Julia Roberts, Sharon Stone, and Madonna would all go on to wear. Mattie Kahn, Vogue, 6 Mar. 2024 City and federal investigators zeroed in on important details, like the coincidence of the thieves arriving so soon after the second guard left to make the rounds. Clay Risen, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 The rational part of me knows that the conjunction of Irena Rey’s publication and the shift in the nation’s politics is a coincidence. Nathan Jeffers, Hazlitt, 28 Feb. 2024 In a further, striking coincidence—or more likely not a coincidence at all but something integral to a process of nightly information transfer perfected by evolution—both the ripples and the spindles rise and fall with the slow waves. Ingrid Wickelgren, Scientific American, 20 Feb. 2024 International in 2022, Swift, 34, said the poetic feel of her music was no coincidence. Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'coincidence.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin coincidentia, derivative of coincident-, coincidens, present participle of coincidere "to agree in nature, coincide"

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of coincidence was in 1605

Dictionary Entries Near coincidence

Cite this Entry

“Coincidence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coincidence. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

coincidence

noun
co·​in·​ci·​dence kō-ˈin(t)-səd-ən(t)s How to pronounce coincidence (audio)
1
: the act or condition of coinciding
2
a
: two things that happen at the same time by accident but seem to have some connection
b
: either one of these happenings

More from Merriam-Webster on coincidence

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