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Definition of accidental
1a : 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
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Examples of accidental in a Sentence
an accidental discovery of oil
The timing of the announcement was purely accidental.
The death was ruled accidental.
Recent Examples of accidental from the Web
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SUID encompasses sudden infant death syndrome, commonly known as SIDS, as well accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed, and other unspecified causes of death in children up to a year old.
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Often, though, hot-car deaths are accidental — more than half (54 percent) are a result of parents or caretakers forgetting children in a vehicle, according to Null’s data.
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Investigators have said Utley's death was accidental.
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The man told police that the shooting was accidental.
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After the coroner’s panel ruled that Ellingson’s death was accidental, a special prosecutor assigned to the case, Amanda Grellner, declined to file charges against Piercy.
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Modern parallels with police violence were almost accidental, said Joseph.
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Now, after 31 years, The Revolution has reunited to pay tribute to their late leader, who died last year at the age of 57 from an accidental overdose.
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A.J. Burnett beats the San Diego Padres 3-0; May 12, 2001: A.J. Burnett started this day with a headache, a sore throat and a scar on his right hand from an accidental burn from a hotel iron.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'accidental'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Synonym Discussion of accidental
accidental
Definition of accidental
1 : a nonessential property
2a music : a note foreign to a key indicated by a signatureb : a prefixed sign indicating an accidental
3 : a bird found outside its normal geographic range, migration route, or season : vagrant
Origin and Etymology of accidental
Middle English, borrowed from Medieval Latin accidentālis, noun derivative of Late Latin accidentālis 1accidental
ACCIDENTAL Defined for English Language Learners
accidental
playDefinition of accidental for English Language Learners
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: happening in a way that is not planned or intended : happening by accident : happening as an accident
ACCIDENTAL Defined for Kids
accidental
playDefinition of accidental for Students
1 : happening by chance or unexpectedly an accidental discovery
2 : not happening or done on purpose an accidental shooting
accidentally
adverb I broke it accidentally.Learn More about accidental
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See words that rhyme with accidental Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for accidental Spanish Central: Translation of accidental Nglish: Translation of accidental for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of accidental for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about accidental
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