determined by luck

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "determined by luck" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it when discussing outcomes or events that are influenced by chance rather than skill or planning. Example: "The winner of the game was largely determined by luck." Alternative expressions include "based on chance," "governed by fate," and "shaped by fortune."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Academia

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

Instead, my friends and my life are largely going to be determined by luck — which other freshman I'm randomly selected to live with, which classes I get admitted into, which dining hall I visit on some random Wednesday afternoon.

The New York Times

Opinion polls show that Europeans are generally less religious than Americans, less inclined to believe that war is sometimes necessary to achieve justice, and more inclined to think that success or failure in the world is determined by luck or social forces rather than personal effort.

The Economist

This paper reports from a novel experiment where third-party spectators have to decide whether to redistribute from a high-earner to a low-earner in cases where earnings are determined by luck and merit.

University of Chicago

People with a high LoC in chance believe that their health outcomes are mostly determined by luck or chance.

BMC Public Health

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

An external health locus of control refers to the belief that one's outcome after injury or surgery is under the control of powerful others or is determined by fate, luck, or chance.

Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic & Related Surgery

How can we ever understand that what who we are, what we are feeling and thinking, is determined by chance, good luck,= or bad luck?

Huffington Post

"Care for some of the most vulnerable children and young people is too often determined by sheer luck rather than any joined-up plan".

The Guardian

Dweck has found that people with a fixed mind-set — that is, those who believe that our intellect and abilities are determined by the luck of the draw at birth, and that nothing we do will change that — tend to perform worse over time.

The New Yorker

Dweck has found that people with a fixed mind-set that is, those who believe that our intellect and abilities are determind-set thatluck of the draw at bisthosend that nothing whodo will change that—tend to perform worse over time.

The New Yorker

Finally, there is luck in the way one's actions are determined by antecedent circumstances (antecedent causal luck).

SEP

In the Denver Post, Mark Kiszla protested against this outcome, arguing that the game had been determined by "pure, dumb luck".

The Guardian - Sport

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

In formal or academic writing, consider using this phrase to discuss socioeconomic variables like birth circumstances or experimental variables beyond control.

Common error

Avoid using "determined by luck" if chance was only one of several factors. If skill played a role, use "influenced by luck" or "affected by luck" instead. Determination implies the total or primary cause of the outcome.

Linguistic Context

This phrase serves as a passive verb phrase where the past participle "determined" establishes a causal relationship between a result and the abstract noun "luck". Based on examples from Ludwig, it typically functions as a predicate following a form of the verb "to be", such as "is determined by luck".

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

45%

Science

30%

Academia

15%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Wiki

3%

Reference

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "determined by luck" is a standard and effective way to describe outcomes dictated by chance. According to Ludwig AI, it is highly frequent in reputable news sources like The New York Times and The Economist, as well as scientific journals, making it a reliable choice for professional writing. It is used to emphasize that an outcome was outside human control or planning. While synonymous with "decided by chance", it carries a slightly more conclusive weight. Writers should ensure that they only use this phrase when luck is the primary determinant, avoiding it in scenarios where skill or effort significantly contributed to the result.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

decided by chance

Uses a more active verb to emphasize the moment of outcome resolution.

governed by fate

Adds a more dramatic or philosophical tone, implying an inescapable destiny.

subject to fortune

Uses a more formal, slightly archaic register associated with wealth or life's ups and downs.

contingent on luck

Emphasizes the dependency of the outcome on a specific lucky factor.

a matter of probability

Shifts the focus from abstract luck to a more scientific or mathematical perspective.

left to chance

Suggests a lack of planning or intervention, allowing randomness to take over.

shaped by coincidence

Implies that specific overlapping events, rather than general luck, formed the result.

driven by randomness

Uses a more modern, technical verb often found in data science or physics.

the result of a fluke

Refers to a specific, highly unlikely lucky event rather than luck as a general concept.

dictated by happenstance

A more sophisticated way of saying things happened by accident or without a plan.

FAQs

How do I use "determined by luck" in a sentence?

You can use it to describe unpredictable outcomes, such as "The final winner of the raffle was "determined by luck" rather than participation levels."

What is a more academic way to say "determined by luck"?

In scholarly contexts, you might prefer "contingent on stochastic factors" or "attributable to chance".

Can I use "determined through luck" instead?

While understandable, "determined by luck" is the standard idiomatic expression. The preposition "by" correctly identifies "luck" as the agent of the passive verb.

Is "determined by luck" formal enough for a business report?

Yes, it is considered neutral to formal. However, for a more professional tone regarding risk, you might use "subject to unpredictable variables".