Spanish Conversation · Level 75
60 words
Spanish word
azar
Pronunciation
IPA/aˈθaɾ/
Meaning
- masculine nounchance
Example
Encontré el libro por azar.
I found the book by chance.
More examples
Eligieron al ganador al azar entre los participantes.
They chose the winner at random from among the participants.
Core concept
An unplanned event attributed to luck.
Common phrases
por azar
by chance
al azar
at random
juegos de azar
games of chance
Similar words
suerte: Luck that affects whether events turn out well or badly.
casualidad: An unexpected occurrence that happens without prior planning or intention.
coincidencia: Two or more events that occur together and seem to be connected by chance.
Definition in Spanish
Suceso o resultado que ocurre sin planificación ni intención humana y que se atribuye a la casualidad o a la suerte.
Word origin
Borrowed from Arabic al-zahr 'dice' into medieval Spanish and extended from dice outcomes to mean chance.
Usage tips
- Por azar indicates that something happened by chance, while al azar typically describes a random selection, as in 'Encontré el libro por azar' versus 'elige al azar'.
Other meanings
- randomnessnoun
Opposites
- certezacertaintynoun
- previsibilidadpredictabilitynoun
Related words
- azarosorandomadjective
- azarosamenterandomlyadverb