accidental

1 of 2

adjective

ac·​ci·​den·​tal ˌak-sə-ˈden-tᵊl How to pronounce accidental (audio)
1
a
: occurring unexpectedly or by chance
an accidental discovery
Their meeting was purely accidental.
b
: happening without intent or through carelessness and often with unfortunate results
The death was ruled accidental.
2
: arising from extrinsic causes : incidental, nonessential
3
of a bird : appearing outside its normal geographic range, migration route, or season
accidentalness noun

accidental

2 of 2

noun

1
: a nonessential property
2
a
music : a note foreign to a key indicated by a signature
b
: a prefixed sign indicating an accidental
3
: a bird found outside its normal geographic range, migration route, or season : vagrant

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between accidental and incidental?

Accidental describes what was not planned or intended. It means "happening by accident" or "happening as an accident," as in "an accidental discovery" and "an accidental injury." Incidental typically means "happening as a minor part or result of something else," as in "a chapter that is incidental to the novel's plot." For more information read the full article.

Do you say 'on accident' or 'by accident'?

While both "by accident" and "on accident" are used, "by accident" is far more common.

What does 'accident waiting to happen' mean?

The phrase "an accident waiting to happen" refers to a person or thing that is dangerous or unsafe. For example, a very clumsy person and a rickety ladder might both be referred to as "an accident waiting to happen."

Choose the Right Synonym for accidental

accidental, fortuitous, casual, contingent mean not amenable to planning or prediction.

accidental stresses chance.

any resemblance to actual persons is entirely accidental

fortuitous so strongly suggests chance that it often connotes entire absence of cause.

a series of fortuitous events

casual stresses lack of real or apparent premeditation or intent.

a casual encounter with a stranger

contingent suggests possibility of happening but stresses uncertainty and dependence on other future events for existence or occurrence.

the contingent effects of the proposed law

Examples of accidental in a Sentence

Adjective an accidental discovery of oil The timing of the announcement was purely accidental. The death was ruled accidental.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
More than half of accidental ingestions involved children between 3 and 5 years old and the majority of visits did not involve additional medications. Amanda Musa, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024 This list is preliminary, and the number of homicides can change as authorities investigate each case, determining whether the slaying was criminal, justified, accidental or suicide. Indianapolis Star, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024 There are even times when the grift—accidental or otherwise—turns out to be real anyway. Byallie Garfinkle, Fortune, 29 Feb. 2024 His death was ruled accidental and attributed to a lethal mix of prescription medications including OxyContin, Vicodin, Valium, Xanax, Unisom and Restoril. Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Feb. 2024 His death was ruled accidental and attributed to a lethal mix of prescription medications including OxyContin, Vicodin, Valium, Xanax, Unisom, and Restoril. Shania Russell, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024 Share [Findings] Psychopaths recommend harsher punishments for homicides, whether accidental or motivated by profit, but exhibit relatively low concern about killing in general. Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2024 On Wednesday, Lionsgate debuted new photos of Skarsgård, 33, and Twigs, 36, in The Crow, a remake of the 1994 film starring Brandon Lee, who died in an accidental shooting on the movie's set at age 28 during production. Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 28 Feb. 2024 As if being an accidental influencer wasn’t enough…. Joe Otterson, Variety, 28 Feb. 2024
Noun
Ana Walshe’s former home in Cohasset burned down in a fire on Saturday night, though investigators deemed the fire accidental, CBS News Boston reported. Conor Murray, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2023 Authorities arrested her boyfriend before declaring the death accidental. Andrew Mark Miller, Fox News, 13 Jan. 2023 Authorities ultimately ruled the death accidental, noting that Jenkins was intoxicated and died of hypothermia, according to NBC New York affiliate WNBC. Char Adams, NBC News, 22 Nov. 2022 The Nevada County Sheriff's Office said in a statement the coroner ruled Rodni's death accidental. CBS News, 14 Oct. 2022 Lansbury was also determined that her own role as the author-cum-accidental detective Jessica Fletcher wasn’t warped by the sexist stereotypes that writers often fell back on. Holly Thomas, CNN, 14 Oct. 2022 Though authorities initially considered the death accidental, the ​​autopsy report later led investigators to believe that Kathleen died not after a fall but after being attacked. Kelsie Gibson, PEOPLE.com, 5 May 2022 The county sheriff ruled Rishell’s death accidental, and her family had remained close with Harold. Rachel Monroe, Outside Online, 16 Oct. 2018 After Saget's family shared their statement, the medical examiner also released their findings, ruling Saget's death accidental. Greta Bjornson, PEOPLE.com, 16 Feb. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'accidental.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French accidentel, borrowed from Late Latin accidentālis, from Latin accident-, accidens accident + -ālis -al entry 1

Noun

Middle English, borrowed from Medieval Latin accidentālis, noun derivative of Late Latin accidentālis accidental entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of accidental was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near accidental

Cite this Entry

“Accidental.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accidental. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

accidental

1 of 2 adjective
ac·​ci·​den·​tal ˌak-sə-ˈdent-ᵊl How to pronounce accidental (audio)
1
: happening unexpectedly or by chance
an accidental discovery of oil
2
: not happening or done on purpose
an accidental fall
accidentally
-ˈdent-lē How to pronounce accidental (audio)
-ˈdent-ᵊl-ē
adverb

accidental

2 of 2 noun
: a musical note whose pitch is changed (as by a sharp or a flat) from the pitch shown in the key signature

More from Merriam-Webster on accidental

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