From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:
fortunate
adj 1: having unexpected good fortune; "other, less fortunate,
children died"; "a fortunate choice" [ant:
unfortunate]
2: supremely favored or fortunate; "golden lads and girls all
must / like chimney sweepers come to dust" [syn:
favored, golden]
3: presaging good fortune; "she made a fortunate decision to go
to medical school"; "rosy predictions" [syn: hopeful,
rosy]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Fortunate \For"tu*nate\ (?; 135), a. [L. fortunatus, p. p. of
fortunare to make fortunate or prosperous, fr. fortuna. See
Fortune, n.]
1. Coming by good luck or favorable chance; bringing some
good thing not foreseen as certain; presaging happiness;
auspicious; as, a fortunate event; a fortunate concurrence
of circumstances; a fortunate investment.
[1913 Webster]
2. Receiving same unforeseen or unexpected good, or some good
which was not dependent on one's own skill or efforts;
favored with good forune; lucky.
Syn: Auspicious; lucky; prosperous; successful; favored;
happy.
Usage: Fortunate, Successful, Prosperous. A man is
fortunate, when he is favored of fortune, and has
unusual blessings fall to his lot; successful when he
gains what he aims at; prosperous when he succeeds in
those things which men commonly desire. One may be
fortunate, in some cases, where he is not successful;
he may be successful, but, if he has been mistaken in
the value of what he has aimed at, he may for that
reason fail to be prosperous.
[1913 Webster]