ACCIDENT Synonyms: 54 Similar and Opposite Words

accident

noun

ˈak-sə-dənt

Definition of accident

as in casualty

a chance and usually sudden event bringing loss or injury was involved in a minor accident on her way home from work

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in luck

the uncertain course of events you shouldn't leave it to accident to decide where you'll be lodging in the course of your trip across the country

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of accident An investigation has been opened to determine the cause of the accident, Ekenge said. — ABC News, 25 Sep. 2026 The story follows Lowen Ashleigh, played by Johnson, who’s hired to ghostwrite for Verity Crawford, played by Anne Hathaway, after an accident leaves her unable to move or speak. — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026 Santa Rosa Junior College sophomore Ryan George died in an apparent accident, his college coach, Fred Duerr, posted in a statement Tuesday. — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026 When the race goes green on Sunday, Ryan Blaney and Carson Hocevar — protagonists in a late accident at Bristol and the fistfight that followed — will be subjects of intense scrutiny. — Reid Spencer, Kansas City Star, 24 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for accident

Recent Examples of Synonyms for accident

Noun

The officials said Afghan Taliban forces subsequently abandoned several positions and suffered casualties.

— ABC News, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026
Amid soaring casualties on the front lines, mounting economic hardship and rising public anxiety, the reality of what Russia calls its Special Military Operation in Ukraine is increasingly being felt.

— Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of casualty

Noun

Many arrived before the doors were open and had already tried the phone with no luck, said Jared Nordlund, the state director for UnidosUS in Florida, an advocacy group that provides assistance to people trying to navigate state agencies.

— Sharmila Venkatasubban, Sun Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2026
The grand luck in Wednesday’s major money Florida Lottery draw games — Florida Lotto, Powerball, Fantasy 5 — went to someone who chose their numbers and, for the second day in a row, a free Quick Pick ticket holder.

— David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of luck

Noun

Los Angeles County officials aim to break ground on the new Eaton Canyon Nature Center before 2028, with plans to construct a facility that can withstand the region’s changing climate and future disasters.

— Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
The Challenger disaster was of course the 1986 explosion of NASA’s eponymous space shuttle shortly after launch, which left all seven crew members dead.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of disaster

Noun

Sympathetic realism is at its wisest when novelists give readers the chance Lee offered in her first book— to love and dislike characters simultaneously.

— Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
There is also a chance of restitution up to $5,000 and revocation of all hunting and fishing privileges nationwide.

— Josh Kelly, Oklahoman, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of chance

Noun

Wrightwood residents are used to pulling together to face catastrophe.

— Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
Beginning after Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and continuing to this day, smaller companies sprang up and took on big roles here, as national insurers pulled back rather than risk the financial catastrophe of another huge, damaging tropical system.

— Ron Hurtibise, Sun Sentinel, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of catastrophe

Noun

In its statement, FARDC said an investigation to determine the actual circumstances and the exact causes of the fatal plane crash was already underway.

— Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2026
Physiology, under the right circumstances, becomes disease or pathology.

— Subramaniam C. Krishnan, STAT, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of circumstance

Noun

Fragrance-free and gentle enough for sensitive skin, Green Stix turn a shaving mishap into a non-event.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026
One streaming mishap under his leadership was the first livestream of the Oscars on Hulu in 2025 crashing, an issue that was corrected for the 2026 telecast.

— Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of mishap

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accessory

accident

accidental

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“Accident.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/accident. Accessed 30 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of accident

noun

Example Sentences

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'Accidental' vs. 'Incidental'

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