accidentally

[ ak-si-den-tl-ee ]

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.

Other Words From

• 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of accidentally¹

accidental ( def ) + -ly

Example Sentences

The Metropolitan Police is expected to refer itself to the Information Commissioner after accidentally sending an email which named alleged victims of the Westminster “honeytrap” scandal.

From BBC

Speaking last week, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said of the latest incident that "nobody believes that these cables were cut accidentally", though he did not specify who he believed was responsible.

From BBC

If you then kill that animal for food, you would have accidentally killed your parent.

From Salon

The news comes after public health experts have warned that drinking or accidentally inhaling raw milk containing the bird flu virus may lead to illness.

From Salon

We accidentally gave her an earlier version of a scene that we’d changed.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• unintentionally
• unwittingly

How Do You Spell Accidentally?

Spelling tips for accidentally

The word accidentally is hard to spell because it can be hard to remember which letters are doubled and which are not. To add to the confusion, there are two possible spellings of accidentally. While less common, accidently is also an acceptable spelling of the word.

How to spell accidentally: It’s no accident that many animals have two eyes to see (C) And two ears to Listen (L). This reminds you that the letters c and l are doubled in accidentally, with an a in between.