circumstances and fortune share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. circumstances means “your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)”. fortune means “an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another”. fortune is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈsɝkəmˌstænsəz/
1.n.your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
“whatever my fortune may be”
2.n.a person's financial situation (good or bad)
“he found himself in straitened circumstances”
| circumstances | fortune | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈsɝkəmˌstænsəz/ | /ˈfɔɹtʃən/ |
| Said | SUR-kuhm-stan-suhz | FAWR-chuhn |
| Syllables | 4 | 2 |
| Letters | 13 | 7 |
| Parts of speech | noun | noun |
| Senses | 2 | 4 |
| How common | Common | Core |
| Synonyms | fortune, destiny, fate | luck, chance, hazard |
Full entry for circumstances · Full entry for fortune · More comparisons
/ˈfɔɹtʃən/
1.n.an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
“bad luck caused his downfall”
2.n.a large amount of wealth or prosperity
3.n.an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that leads to a favorable outcome
“it was my good luck to be there”