fortune
fortune — noun
1. Money or valuable property that adds up to a sum big enough to make someone rich
Money or valuable property that adds up to a sum big enough to make someone rich or to pay for an extremely costly purchase.
After the company went public, Vikram made a fortune from his shares.
make a fortune — earn a large amount of money
The antique clock from my grandmother is worth a small fortune.
worth a small fortune — very valuable
Camila's family lost their entire fortune in the stock market crash.
Building a fortune requires patience, discipline, and smart investing.
- wealth
broader and more neutral; describes a lasting state of riches rather than a specific large sum
- riches
more literary and concrete, often suggesting gold, jewellery, or treasure
- prosperity
focuses on the condition of doing well financially rather than a specific amount
- poverty
the state of being very poor
文法句型
make a fortune
cost a fortune
worth a fortune
inherit a fortune
用法筆記
Unlike 'wealth', which describes a general state of having abundant resources, 'fortune' specifically refers to a single large sum or collection of assets, often life-changing in scale. Common in fixed expressions: 'make a fortune', 'cost a fortune', 'spend a fortune', 'inherit a fortune'.
常見錯誤
2. The force or principle that controls events in a person's life, especially when
The force or principle that controls events in a person's life, especially when those events are considered good or bad and happen without being planned.
By a stroke of good fortune, Apinya found her lost wallet on the train platform.
a stroke of good fortune — a lucky unexpected event
The fortune of the Watanabe family changed completely after the earthquake.
fortune of — the overall life circumstances of
As the wheel spun, Iris wondered what fortune the game would bring.
Fortune smiled on the villagers when the drought ended just before the harvest.
文法句型
by fortune
good fortune / bad fortune
a stroke of fortune
fortune smiles on
用法筆記
Often appears in fixed phrases such as 'by fortune', 'good fortune', 'bad fortune', and 'a stroke of fortune'. Can be personified in literary contexts ('Fortune smiled on...'). Unlike 'fate', 'fortune' does not necessarily imply inevitability — it suggests random chance that can change over time.
3. A person's predicted future life events, especially those described by a fortune
A person's predicted future life events, especially those described by a fortune-teller after studying the palm of the hand, interpreting a deck of cards, or using other methods of divination.
Lauren had her fortune told at the night market and left feeling both curious and uneasy.
have your fortune told — ask a fortune-teller for predictions
The fortune-teller studied Min's palm and described a fortune involving travel across the sea.
Yael read her fortune from the tea leaves at the bottom of the cup.
Obi paid a fortune-teller at the fair to describe what lay ahead in his love life.
- prediction
more general, used in any context (weather, sports, economics) without supernatural implications
- prophecy
more serious and religious in tone; suggests a divinely inspired message
文法句型
tell someone's fortune
read someone's fortune
have your fortune told
用法筆記
Almost always appears within the fixed expressions 'tell someone's fortune', 'read someone's fortune', or 'have your fortune told'. Rarely used as a standalone noun — you would not say 'my fortune is to move abroad' unless you were quoting a fortune-teller's exact prediction.
fortune — verb
1. To bestow either favourable or unfavourable luck upon someone, thereby shaping t
To bestow either favourable or unfavourable luck upon someone, thereby shaping the course of events in their life. This usage is now extremely rare, surviving mainly in older literary or poetic works.
In the old tale, the hero was fortuned to face three trials before finding peace.
passive: be fortuned to + infinitive — literary, archaic
The oracle declared that Amira was fortuned to lead her people to a new homeland.
In the medieval poem, the knight was fortuned to find true love beneath an oak tree.
The old chronicle tells how the kingdom was fortuned with peace after the queen's wise counsel.
- fate
the modern equivalent verb construction: 'was fated to' means the same but is still occasionally used
文法句型
be fortuned to + infinitive
用法筆記
Effectively obsolete in modern English. Appears only in pre-20th-century literature or in deliberate archaism. Modern equivalents: 'was fated to', 'was destined to', or 'was chosen to'.
常見錯誤
2. To give a large amount of money or valuable property to someone. Now extremely r
To give a large amount of money or valuable property to someone. Now extremely rare and found mainly in old or historical texts.
The wealthy merchant fortuned his loyal servants with generous gifts in his will.
fortune someone with something — archaic, bestow wealth upon
Legends say the king fortuned the temple with gold and precious stones.
The elderly countess fortuned the orphanage with a large donation before she passed away.
The duke fortuned his youngest son with three villages and a castle.
文法句型
fortune someone with something
用法筆記
Entirely absent from modern spoken and written English. The modern equivalent is 'endow with a fortune' or 'provide with wealth'. Found occasionally in historical fiction attempting an archaic style.
3. To happen by chance. Used almost exclusively in the impersonal construction 'it
To happen by chance. Used almost exclusively in the impersonal construction 'it fortuned that...' in older literary English.
It fortuned that Obi arrived at the village just as the harvest festival began.
it fortuned that — impersonal archaic construction meaning 'it happened that'
Whatever may fortune, the old knight vowed to return before the winter snow.
It fortuned that the travellers reached the inn just ahead of the violent storm.
It fortuned that the two friends met again in a market square after thirty years apart.
文法句型
it fortuned that...
whatever may fortune
用法筆記
The impersonal construction 'it fortuned that...' mirrors the pattern of 'it happened that...' or 'it came to pass that...' in older English. No modern speech equivalent exists; writers today would use 'it happened that' or 'by chance'.