Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective accidental differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of accidental are casual, contingent, and fortuitous. While all these words mean "not amenable to planning or prediction," accidental stresses chance.

any resemblance to actual persons is entirely accidental

When might casual be a better fit than accidental?

In some situations, the words casual and accidental are roughly equivalent. However, casual stresses lack of real or apparent premeditation or intent.

a casual encounter with a stranger

When is it sensible to use contingent instead of accidental?

While in some cases nearly identical to accidental, 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

When can fortuitous be used instead of accidental?

While the synonyms fortuitous and accidental are close in meaning, fortuitous so strongly suggests chance that it often connotes entire absence of cause.

a series of fortuitous events

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 accidental As more immigration sweeps happen, Gordo is worried that there could be an accidental shooting or that police could end up caught in the middle if unidentified federal agents are pulling out their guns in public. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2025 Now, police say their priority is finding out if the dogs’ deaths were intentional or accidental. Sierra Van Der Brug, Oc Register, 21 June 2025 Investigators ruled Coleman's death as accidental shortly after the incident in 2010. Liza Esquibias, People.com, 17 June 2025 Learn how to use gym equipment properly to avoid accidental injuries, if gym equipment is a part of your routine. Cristina Mutchler, Verywell Health, 16 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for accidental
Recent Examples of Synonyms for accidental
Adjective
  • The most dangerous founders secretly fear becoming irrelevant in their own creation.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
  • The short movie for spring — whose title is being kept under wraps until the screening — is set on a ferry boat trip, its destination unknown and irrelevant, Magliano added.
    Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 20 June 2025
Adjective
  • Participants worried that the policy has an inadvertent chilling effect, deterring individuals from calling 911 when an overdose occurs.
    Katherine LeMasters, The Conversation, 13 June 2025
  • The team representative and the driver apologised for the inadvertent breach.
    Lydia Mee, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 May 2025
Adjective
  • The Global Version of the product ships with just a USB Type-C adapter and is priced at $139 without any external Lavalier mics.
    Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
  • This included verifying whether companies published an ESG report for 2023, ensuring these reports had undergone external assurance, and assessing compliance with international reporting standards such as GRI, SASB, and TCFD (now part of the IFRS/ISSB standards).
    TIME Staff, Time, 24 June 2025
Adjective
  • For the series, Siakam has quietly become the Pacers’ frontrunner to win the most unexpected of finals MVP awards.
    Sam Amick, New York Times, 20 June 2025
  • The heart reveals peony in an unexpected and intense combination with sandalwood and rum absolute, while the base develops into this gorgeous deep song of vanilla with notes of labdanum, operanide and ambroxan.
    Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 20 June 2025
Adjective
  • Lauren Heller Since Sagittarians are willing to try anything once, the Fire sign resembles Lauren's adventitious persona.
    Lisa Stardust, People.com, 31 Mar. 2025
  • The patchy and adventitious quality of Jameson’s reconstruction must make clear his difference as a thinker.
    Mark Greif, Harper's Magazine, 26 July 2024
Adjective
  • Some lives are lost due to unintentional exposure including babies, young children and public servants that come into contact with this drug.
    Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
  • Others — many, as tax experts have told me — are unintentional and the result of the law’s complexity.
    Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025
Adjective
  • Is your motivation for doing well extrinsic or intrinsic?
    DP Opinion, Denver Post, 11 June 2025
  • It has been observed that extrinsic rewards can override intrinsic motivations over time.
    John Werner, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
Adjective
  • But the haphazard rollout of unprecedented global tariffs in April and the White House’s goal of reshaping the postwar order indicate that upheaval is not just incidental but a central policy objective.
    REBECCA LISSNER, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
  • The fact that Israel actually plunged the dagger into the deceased is incidental.
    Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 13 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Accidental.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/accidental. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on accidental

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