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Mike the Brit said:Thank you, spacecrime. You've stopped me preparing a rant about another useful distinction of meaning being overwhelmed by the ignorance of the yahoos -- and if a character in a movie is supposed to demonstrate her erudition by misusing the word in this way, then it is truly depressing. (By the way, do people who think that there is no difference between "fortunate" and "fortuitous" also think that some things are "un-fortuitous"?)
The words are distinct, but the meaning of fortuitous is subtly evolving. Per the word usage guide Right, Wrong, and Risky (Norton, 2005):
"Fortuitous has acquired widespread acceptance in the combined sense of 'by fortunate chance'"
Whether the Patriots' current WR depth is "Right, Wrong, or Risky" is left as an exercise for the reader.