accidentally

[ ak-si-den-tl-ee ]
See synonyms for accidentally on Thesaurus.com
adverb
  1. by chance or mistake; in a way that is not planned or intended: If you break your key, whether accidentally or on purpose, there is a $40 charge to replace it.

  2. in a nonessential or subsidiary way; incidentally: Philosophy is essentially a vocation, and only accidentally a profession.

Origin of accidentally

1
  • Sometimes ac·ci·dent·ly [ak-si-dent-lee] /ˌæk sɪˈdɛnt li/ .

Other words from accidentally

  • non·ac·ci·den·tal·ly, adverb
  • pre·ac·ci·den·tal·ly, adverb
  • pseu·do·ac·ci·den·tal·ly, adverb
  • qua·si-ac·ci·den·tal·ly, adverb
  • un·ac·ci·den·tal·ly, adverb

Words Nearby accidentally

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use accidentally in a sentence

  • It wasn't far, so we kept on, and presently it developed that we had accidentally come upon old Piegan Smith.

    Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair
  • Again, mebbe it would–if the hull thing that happened next was accidentally a-purpose.

    Alec Lloyd, Cowpuncher | Eleanor Gates
  • They had, perhaps, when they were thus accidentally lifted to power, no very definite intentions of any sort.

  • On the 22d August, one of the plants having been accidentally injured, the experiment was terminated.

  • One day he accidentally let slip some words about Melbourne, which he could not well have done unless he had seen the place.

    Elster's Folly | Mrs. Henry Wood