lucky

See also: Lucky

English

Etymology

From Middle English lukky, equivalent to luck +‎ -y. Cognate with Scots lucky (“lucky”), West Frisian lokkich (“lucky, fortunate”), Dutch gelukkig (“lucky, fortunate, happy”). Compare also Danish lykkelig (“happy”), Swedish lycklig (“happy, lucky”), German glücklich (“happy”), Saterland Frisian glukkelk (“happy”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: lŭkʹē, IPA^(key): /ˈlʌki/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌki

Adjective

lucky (comparative luckier or more lucky, superlative luckiest or most lucky)

1. (of people) Favoured by luck; fortunate; having good success or good fortune.

   Synonyms: fortunate, successful; see also Thesaurus:lucky

   a lucky adventurer

   The downed pilot is very lucky to be alive.

   • 1989, “Under the Sea”, in Howard Ashman (lyrics), Alan Menken (music), The Little Mermaid:

     They sad ’cause they in their bowl / But fish in the bowl is lucky / They in for a worser fate

2. Producing, or resulting in, good fortune

   Synonyms: favorable, auspicious, favorable, fortunate; see also Thesaurus:auspicious

   a lucky mistake

   a lucky cast

   a lucky hour

Derived terms

• blessky
• cut one's lucky
• get lucky
• happy-go-lucky
• lucky bag
• lucky bamboo
• lucky break
• lucky charm
• lucky clover
• Lucky Country
• lucky devil
• lucky dip
• lucky dog
• lucky draw
• lucky duck
• lucky duckling
• lucky girl syndrome
• lucky grouper
• lucky imaging
• lucky loser
• lucky money
• lucky nut
• Lucky Pierre
• lucky star
• lucky stiff
• lucky streak
• lucky you
• one should be so lucky
• strike it lucky
• strike lucky
• strike me lucky
• third time lucky
• today's lucky 10,000
• today's lucky 10,000
• today's lucky 10,000
• today's lucky ten thousand
• unlucky
• you have to be good to be lucky

 

Translations

of people, having good fortune

• Afrikaans: gelukkig
• Albanian: fatlum (sq) m
• American Sign Language: Open8@Chin-PalmBack Open8@NearSideChinhigh-PalmForward
• Arabic: مَحْظُوظ (maḥẓūẓ)
• Armenian: բախտավոր (hy) (baxtavor)
• Azerbaijani: bəxtli, bəxti gətirən, bəxtəvər (az)
• Basque: please add this translation if you can
• Belarusian: уда́члівы (udáčlivy), шчаслі́вы (be) (ščaslívy), шанцава́ць impf (šancavácʹ) (impersonal verb), шча́сціць impf (ščáscicʹ) (impersonal verb), шчаслі́віцца impf (ščaslívicca) (impersonal verb)
• Bulgarian: късметли́я m (kǎsmetlíja) (noun, a lucky person), късметли́йка f (kǎsmetlíjka)
• Catalan: astruc (ca), afortunat (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 幸運／幸运 (zh) (xìngyùn), 福氣／福气 (zh) (fúqì), 福 (zh) (fú), 吉利 (zh) (jílì), 吉祥 (zh) (jíxiáng)

• Czech: mít štěstí, mít kliku, být klikař
• Danish: heldig
• Dutch: gelukkig (nl), succesvol (nl)
• Esperanto: bonŝanca
• Finnish: hyväonninen (fi), onnekas (fi)
• French: chanceux (fr), heureux (fr), veinard (fr) (colloquial)
• Georgian: ბედნიერი (bednieri), იღბლიანი (iɣbliani)
• German: glücklich (de)
• Greek: τυχερός (el) (tycherós)

  Ancient: εὐτυχής (eutukhḗs), μάκαρ (mákar), εὐαίων (euaíōn)

• Hebrew: בר מזל (bar mazal)
• Hindi: भाग्यशाली (hi) (bhāgyaśālī), ख़ुशक़िस्मत (xuśqismat)
• Hungarian: szerencsés (hu)
• Icelandic: lánsamur, heppinn, gæfusamur
• Irish: sonasach
• Italian: fortunato (it)
• Japanese: 幸運 (ja) (こううん, kōun), 運のよい (うんのよい, un no yoi), ラッキー (ja) (rakkī)
• Korean: 운이 좋은 (uni jo'eun), 운수 좋은 (unsu jo'eun)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: بەختەوەر (bextewer), خۆشبەخت (xoşbext)

• Lao: please add this translation if you can
• Latin: faustus, fēlīx, fortūnātus
• Latvian: veiksmīgs
• Malay: please add this translation if you can
• Navajo: bízháneeʼ
• Norwegian: heldig (no)
• Occitan: astruc (oc)
• Old English: ġesǣliġ
• Persian: خوشبخت (fa) (xošbaxt), بختیار (fa) (baxtiyâr)
• Polish: szczęśliwy (pl)
• Portuguese: sortudo (pt)
• Romanian: norocos (ro)
• Russian: уда́чливый (ru) (udáčlivyj), (impersonal verb) везти́ (ru) (veztí) (e.g. "ему́ везёт" - "he is lucky"), счастли́вый (ru) (sčastlívyj), везу́чий (ru) (vezúčij), (day, hit) уда́чный (ru) (udáčnyj), счастли́виться (ru) impf (sčastlívitʹsja) (impersonal verb), фарти́ть (ru) impf (fartítʹ) (impersonal verb, slang)
• Scots: weirdly
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: срећан, имати среће

  Roman: srećan, imati sreće

• Spanish: afortunado (es), suertudo (es)
• Swedish: lyckosam (sv)
• Tagalog: manigo
• Thai: มีโชค (mii-chôok), มีโชคดี (mii chôok dii), เฮง (th) (heng)
• Turkish: şanslı (tr), uğurlu (tr), ballı (tr), talihli (tr)
• Ukrainian: щасли́вий (uk) (ščaslývyj), ща́сний (ščásnyj), щасти́ти (uk) impf (ščastýty) (impersonal verb), талани́ти impf (talanýty) (impersonal verb)
• Vietnamese: may (vi), may mắn (vi), hên (vi)
• Welsh: ffodus (cy), lwcus (cy)
• Yiddish: גליקלעך (gliklekh), מזלדיק (mazldik)

being good by chance

• Afrikaans: gelukkig
• American Sign Language: Open8@Chin-PalmBack Open8@NearSideChinhigh-PalmForward
• Arabic: مَحْظُوظ (maḥẓūẓ)
• Armenian: հաջող (hy) (haǰoġ), բարեբախտ (hy) (barebaxt)
• Belarusian: шчаслі́вы (be) (ščaslívy)
• Bulgarian: щастли́в (bg) (štastlív)
• Catalan: afortunat (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 幸運／幸运 (zh) (xìngyùn)

• Czech: šťastný (cs)
• Danish: heldig
• Dutch: gelukkig (nl), boffend (nl)
• Finnish: onnekas (fi), onnellinen (fi)
• French: fortuné (fr), chanceux (fr), heureux (fr), porte-bonheur (fr)
• German: glücklich (de)
• Hindi: भाग्यशाली (hi) (bhāgyaśālī)
• Hungarian: szerencsés (hu)
• Irish: ádhúil, méanar (predicative only)
• Italian: fortunato (it)
• Japanese: 運の良い (うんのよい, un no yoi)
• Korean: 운이 좋은 (uni jo'eun), 운수 좋은 (unsu jo'eun)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: بەختەوەر (bextewer), خۆشبەخت (xoşbext)

• Lao: please add this translation if you can
• Latin: faustus, fēlīx, prosperus
• Macedonian: среќен (sreḱen)
• Malay: please add this translation if you can
• Persian: خوش‌شانس (xoš-šâns)
• Polish: szczęśliwy (pl)
• Portuguese: sortudo (pt)
• Russian: счастли́вый (ru) (sčastlívyj), хоро́ший (ru) (xoróšij), уда́чный (ru) (udáčnyj)
• Scots: weirdly
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: срећан, сретан

  Roman: srećan, sretan (sh)

• Slovak: šťastný (sk)
• Slovene: srečen (sl)
• Spanish: fortunado (es), afortunado (es)
• Swedish: tursam (sv), lycklig (sv)
• Thai: โอกาสดี (oo-gàat dii)
• Ukrainian: щасли́вий (uk) (ščaslývyj), ща́сний (ščásnyj)
• Vietnamese: may (vi), may mắn (vi)
• Welsh: ffodus (cy), lwcus (cy)

resulting in good luck

• Arabic: جَالِب للحَظّ
• German: glückbringend
• Greek: γουρλής (gourlís)

Noun

lucky

1. (bingo) seven