accidentally

American  

[ak-si-den-tl-ee] / ˌæk sɪˈdɛn tl i /

Sometimes accidently

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.

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Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

• nonaccidentally adverb
• preaccidentally adverb
• pseudoaccidentally adverb
• quasi-accidentally adverb
• unaccidentally adverb

Etymology

Origin of accidentally

accidental ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

On one memorable occasion, he even backed me during a job interview process after I accidentally insulted one of his colleagues.

From The Wall Street Journal

Had he accidentally agreed to help Chip unlock more safes, sort through more records?

From Literature

I think maybe I accidentally tricked you, too.

From Literature

But time travel is an imperfect science, and the technician overseeing the process is delirious from a virulent new strain of flu, so Kivrin is accidentally dropped into 1348, the year of the Black Death.

From The Wall Street Journal

We saw what happened to Lindsey Vonn when she accidentally hooked her arm on one and that apparently contributed to her violent crash.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• unintentionally
• unwittingly