accidental

[ ak-si-den-tl ]

adjective

1. happening by chance or accident; not planned; unexpected:

   an accidental meeting.

   Synonyms: unintentional

   Antonyms: contrived, planned

2. nonessential; incidental; subsidiary:

   accidental benefits.

3. Music. relating to or indicating sharps, flats, or naturals.

noun

1. a nonessential or subsidiary circumstance, characteristic, or feature.
2. Music. a sign placed before a note indicating a chromatic alteration of its pitch.

accidental

/ ˌæksɪˈdɛntəl /

adjective

1. occurring by chance, unexpectedly, or unintentionally
2. nonessential; incidental
3. music denoting sharps, flats, or naturals that are not in the key signature of a piece
4. logic (of a property) not essential; contingent

noun

1. an incidental, nonessential, or supplementary circumstance, factor, or attribute
2. music a symbol denoting a sharp, flat, or natural that is not a part of the key signature

Derived Forms

• ˌacciˈdentally, adverb

Other Words From

• ac·ci·den·tal·ly ac·ci·dent·ly adverb
• ac·ci·den·tal·ness ac·ci·den·tal·i·ty noun
• non·ac·ci·den·tal adjective noun
• non·ac·ci·den·tal·ness noun
• pre·ac·ci·den·tal adjective
• pseu·do·ac·ci·den·tal adjective
• qua·si-ac·ci·den·tal adjective
• un·ac·ci·den·tal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of accidental¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Medieval Latin word accidentālis. See accident, -al ¹

Synonym Study

Accidental, casual, fortuitous all describe something outside the usual course of events. Accidental implies occurring unexpectedly or by chance: an accidental blow. Casual describes a passing event of slight importance: a casual reference. Fortuitous is applied to events occurring without known cause, often of a fortunate or favorable nature: a fortuitous shower of meteors. It often also implies good luck or good fortune: a fortuitous choice leading to rapid advancement.

Example Sentences

This is kind of an accidental career for me—which is why I approach it with irreverence and playfulness.

From The Daily Beast

Whatever irregularities occurred were accidental and insignificant.

From The Daily Beast

In 1978, Scott Newman, his 28-year-old son, died of an accidental drug and alcohol overdose.

From The Daily Beast

An accidental mix-up of measles vaccine and a common muscle relaxer killed at least 15 Syrian children, and possibly many more.

From The Daily Beast

Around two thirds of these accidental deaths happened in the home or vehicle of the family, with mostly unsecured guns.

From The Daily Beast

No accidental relations of parts of names is resorted to, as was done in the case of the American Presidents.

From Project Gutenberg

Christianity owed its magnificent opportunities (which it has wasted) to several accidental circumstances.

From Project Gutenberg

In the meantime, Colonel Fry had died suddenly from an accidental fall, and Washington had succeeded to the command.

From Project Gutenberg

A statesman's life is the life for me; behold Mr. Devenish, the new M.P.—no, look here, that was quite accidental.

From Project Gutenberg

According to him, literature ought to be intentional, and the accidental restrained as much as possible.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• coincidental
• inadvertent
• incidental
• random
• unexpected
• unforeseen
• unintended
• unintentional
• unplanned