accidental

[ ak-si-den-tl ]

/ ˌæk sɪˈdɛn tl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR accidental ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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

nonessential; incidental; subsidiary: accidental benefits.

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

noun

a nonessential or subsidiary circumstance, characteristic, or feature.

Music. a sign placed before a note indicating a chromatic alteration of its pitch.

Nearby words

accident insurance, accident prone, accident proneness, accident tout, accident-prone, accidental, accidental death benefit, accidental hypothermia, accidentalism, accidentally, accidentally on purpose

Origin of accidental

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

SYNONYMS FOR accidental

1 unintentional, unforeseen.

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ANTONYMS FOR accidental

1 planned, contrived.

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Related forms

ac·ci·den·tal·ly, ac·ci·dent·ly, adverbac·ci·den·tal·ness, ac·ci·den·tal·i·ty, nounnon·ac·ci·den·tal, adjective, nounnon·ac·ci·den·tal·ly, adverb

non·ac·ci·den·tal·ness, nounpre·ac·ci·den·tal, adjectivepre·ac·ci·den·tal·ly, adverbpseu·do·ac·ci·den·tal, adjectivepseu·do·ac·ci·den·tal·ly, adverbqua·si-ac·ci·den·tal, adjectivequa·si-ac·ci·den·tal·ly, adverbun·ac·ci·den·tal, adjectiveun·ac·ci·den·tal·ly, adverb

Synonym study

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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for accidentally

But, Adnan suggest that Jay butt-dialed Nisha by mistake on his phone and accidentally left a two-minute voicemail.
The Scoop on ‘Serial’: Making Sense of The Nisha Call, Asia's Letters, and Our Obsession|Emily Shire|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Along the way, he accidentally embeds a nail in his foot, which is not symbolic at all.
The Walking Dead’s ‘Crossed’: The Stage Is Now Set for a Bloody, Deadly Midseason Finale|Melissa Leon|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hathaway says she discovered that everyone hated her accidentally.
Do We Still Hate Anne Hathaway?|Kevin Fallon|November 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“It was as though she had veered, accidentally, into her own life,” writes Shields elsewhere.
Carol Shields’s Tale Of Secondhand Life|Nathaniel Rich|October 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

On her first episode live from New York, she accidentally said the f-word.
The Casual Genius of Jenny Slate: ‘Marcel the Shell,’ ‘Obvious Child,’ and the Ghost of ‘SNL’|Kevin Fallon|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Yes, he had accidentally helped me, and I wished doubly that I might help him.
Lady Baltimore|Owen Wister
If they know nothing of the latter's movements they cannot accidentally transmit information.
The Long Roll|Mary Johnston
A manager who accidentally saw them perform, proposed making an engagement with them.
Acrobats and Mountebanks|Hugues Le Roux
He is said by some to have been accidentally poisoned by his wife; by others purposely, by some of his adherents.
Notes and Queries, Number 223, February 4, 1854|Various
Accidentally I forgot to give you the "Footsteps," which I now return, having ordered a copy for myself.
More Letters of Charles Darwin Volume II|Charles Darwin

British Dictionary definitions for accidentally

accidental

/ (ˌæksɪˈdɛntəl) /

adjective

occurring by chance, unexpectedly, or unintentionally

nonessential; incidental

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

logic (of a property) not essential; contingent

noun

an incidental, nonessential, or supplementary circumstance, factor, or attribute

music a symbol denoting a sharp, flat, or natural that is not a part of the key signature

Derived Formsaccidentally, 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

Word Origin and History for accidentally (1 of 3)

accidentally

adv.

late 14c., "non-essentially," also "unnaturally," from accidental + -ly (2). Meaning "unintentionally" is recorded from 1580s; phrase accidentally on purpose is recorded from 1862.

Word Origin and History for accidentally (1 of 3)

accidental

adj.

late 14c., "non-essential," from Old French accidentel or directly from Medieval Latin accidentalis, from Latin accidentem (see accident). Meaning "outside the normal course of nature" is from early 15c.; that of "coming by chance" is from 1570s.

Word Origin and History for accidentally (2 of 3)

accidental

late 14c., "non-essential quality," from accidental (adj.). The musical sense is from 1868.

accidental

adjective

noun

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Origin of accidental

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Examples from the Web for accidentally

British Dictionary definitions for accidentally

accidental

adjective

noun

Word Origin and History for accidentally (1 of 3)

accidentally

Word Origin and History for accidentally (1 of 3)

accidental

Word Origin and History for accidentally (2 of 3)

accidental