accidental

[ ak-si-den-tl ]
See synonyms for: accidentalaccidentalityaccidentallyaccidentalness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. happening by chance or accident; not planned; unexpected: an accidental meeting.

  2. nonessential; incidental; subsidiary: accidental benefits.

  1. 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.

Origin of accidental

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Medieval Latin word accidentālis.See accident, -al1

synonym study For accidental

1. 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.

Other words for accidental

Opposites for accidental

Other words from accidental

  • 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

Words Nearby accidental

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

How to use accidental in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for accidental

accidental

/ (ˌæksɪˈdɛntəl) /


adjective
  1. occurring by chance, unexpectedly, or unintentionally

  2. nonessential; incidental

  1. music denoting sharps, flats, or naturals that are not in the key signature of a piece

  2. 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 of accidental

  • accidentally, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012