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
From the M-W Editors
Examples of accidental in a Sentence
an accidental discovery of oil
The timing of the announcement was purely accidental.
The death was ruled accidental.
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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