Choose the correct antonym of the following word from the given options:
Fortuitous
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Planned
Fortuitous means happening by chance or accident, not planned. It is also used loosely to mean lucky. Its antonym is planned.
Example: Our meeting at the airport was quite fortuitous.
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Accidental | happening by chance, without intention (it is a synonym of fortuitous, not an antonym) | The discovery of penicillin was partly accidental. |
| (2) Disturbing | causing worry or upset (it says nothing about chance or plan) | The report contained some disturbing facts. |
| (3) Planned (answer) | arranged or decided in advance (a planned event does not happen by chance) | The visit was carefully planned weeks ahead. |
| (4) Ludicrous | so silly that it is laughable (it is unrelated to fortuitous) | The idea of a cat guarding the fish shop is ludicrous. |
Note: In the original NTA paper, Option 1 read "Unfortunate". NTA accepted this option as a correct answer as well. To leave only one correct answer and avoid confusion for students, it has been changed here to "Accidental".
Advice for the exam: In the real exam, mark the answer that is grammatically or factually correct. If NTA’s provisional answer key marks a different option, challenge it during the answer-key challenge window and give the reason in one or two lines.
| Also asked in CUET (UG): fortuitous – 14-05-2026 Slot 2 ludicrous – 25-05-2026 Slot 1, 15-05-2025 Slot 2, 19-07-2024 Slot 1, 10-06-2023 Slot 3, 10-06-2023 Slot 2 |