coincidental
Americanadjective
-
happening by or resulting from coincidence; by chance.
a coincidental meeting.
-
existing or occurring at the same time.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- coincidentally adverb
- coincidently adverb
- noncoincidental adjective
- noncoincidentally adverb
- uncoincidental adjective
- uncoincidentally adverb
Etymology
Origin of coincidental
First recorded in 1790–1800; coincident + -al 1
Explanation
Things that are coincidental take place at the same time, but there isn't any connection. It's just chance — a coincidence. Sometimes things seem connected because they happen at the same time, but they really aren't: they're just coincidental. A sports fan might have a lucky shirt he wears to bring his team luck. But, if his team wins, that's just coincidental. Shirts, unfortunately, don't influence game outcomes. Coincidental is the opposite of causal, which means one thing directly causing another to happen. When coincidental things happen — like a friend calls just when you were thinking of her — it's just luck or chance.
Vocabulary lists containing coincidental
Catching Fire
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Through My Eyes
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Every Soul a Star
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Patel, an avid hockey fan, has defended the trip, arguing that the timing was coincidental with meetings he had been planning to attend with the FBI’s European counterparts.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026
Owens is maximalist in her approach, tossing out anything that to her seems funky or confusing or too coincidental, even when they lead to theories that contradict one another.
From Slate • Feb. 27, 2026
It is possible these swings were all coincidental.
From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026
"It was just purely coincidental he and I spent some quality time together on what would have been her 85th birthday. The stars had aligned," said Russell.
From BBC • Dec. 25, 2025
In fact, reporters covering the race noted how coincidental it was that Man o’ War should lose to a horse with such a name.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
