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 That's when the bullet was found lodged in Gary's rib, and what had started as a possible accidental death — became a murder investigation. Susan Mallie, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2025 William made the move to Mishcon de Reya, which represented Princess Diana in her divorce from Charles a year before her accidental death. Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 25 Apr. 2025 The fall appears accidental; however, an investigation into the incident is ongoing, per the SPD. Man, 40, Falls 200 Feet to His Death While Canyoneering at Zion National Park in Utah Several of her friends shared their condolences with her family, including Tim and Brooke Paoli. Charna Flam, People.com, 25 Apr. 2025 What followed was part social experiment, part accidental soul-baring, and slightly more fun than doomscrolling solo. Jennifer Jolly, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for accidental
Recent Examples of Synonyms for accidental
Adjective
  • For the purposes of this discussion, the cause of sea level rise is irrelevant.
    Rob Young, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2025
  • Tony Gilroy’s masterful series is so good that the sci-fi Star Wars of it all sometimes seems irrelevant compared to the nuanced takes on resistance and fascism.
    James Grebey, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Defendant referred to victim in past tense, detective testifies Cousins’ status as a possible suspect was strengthened by his inadvertent language missteps in his first interview with a Fort Worth Police Department Homicide Unit detective, the jury learned on Tuesday.
    Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Apr. 2025
  • Skinner has been out of commission since getting an inadvertent knee in the head from the Dallas Stars’ Mikko Rantanen on March 26.
    Daniel Nugent-Bowman, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The only reason there’s a handful of options for Day 3 is because many of their guys at the end of the depth chart are external vets and the Cowboys could try to replace them with homegrown talents.
    Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
  • Prior to Joyce, Lisa Cummins, the minister of energy and business development in Barbados, spoke movingly about how her small island nation was being buffeted by external forces.
    Christine Ro, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Aaron Rodgers clearly enjoys holding the NFL hostage: The NFL’s lamest offseason storyline had a new – but not unexpected – twist Thursday when Aaron Rodgers had thoughts on the New York Jets and new head coach Aaron Glenn.
    Jim Reineking, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
  • Read More: The Fashion Fight That Exposes the Flaw in Trump's Tariff Logic But New Bedford’s economic catastrophe soon gave it an unexpected industrial advantage: numerous unemployed workers with nowhere to turn but the factory floor.
    Made by History, Time, 21 Apr. 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
  • From awkward silences and Wi-Fi lags to unintentional mute mishaps, there are countless ways virtual conversations can detract from your personal brand.
    William Arruda, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
  • One organization is notorious for an unintentional form of this prejudice: animal shelters.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • This refers to a call spread where the in-the-money call has the same extrinsic value as the out-of-the-money call.
    Michael Khouw, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2025
  • And that is not something extrinsic, imposed by regulation or taxation, but inherent to the way the company conceives of itself, its ownership structure, its governance, its performance metrics, its finances — everything.
    IESE Business School, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • As a result, the county worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to get an incidental take permit.
    Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2025
  • Overfishing — whether targeted or incidental — is their biggest threat, with many caught unintentionally and discarded as bycatch.
    Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

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

More from Merriam-Webster on accidental

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