luckily

Luckily is an adverb in English that means by luck or in a fortunate way and is used to indicate a fortunate outcome or relief. It is formed by adding the adverbial suffix -ly to the adjective lucky, a common English process for turning adjectives into adverbs. The word is widely understood across varieties of English but is more common in informal speech and writing than in formal prose.

Usage notes: Luckily can function as a sentence adverb, placed at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence, as in "Luckily, we arrived on time" or "We arrived on time, luckily." It often conveys a speaker’s relief or optimism about the outcome. In formal writing, many editors prefer "fortunately" and may regard "luckily" as colloquial or stylistically weak. The opposite sense is expressed with "unluckily" or, more commonly, "unfortunately."

Etymology and related terms: The form derives from the adjective lucky plus the -ly suffix; it first appears in Early Modern English. Related terms include "fortunately," "unfortunately," and "fortuitously," which offer alternative tones or degrees of formality. While "luckily" remains common in everyday usage, its use can signal a lighter, conversational register compared with its formal counterparts.