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 The majority of gun use incidents are suicidal, homicidal, and accidental. Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025 Referee Michael Oliver appeared to be in a good position to see the accidental clash and take relevant action, looking over the prone Mac Allister as Fernandes fed the ball out to Amad, but made no signal to curtail the United attack. Carl Anka, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025 Cue said the timing of the rights deal and a major new bundle with Peacock was accidental. Dade Hayes, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2025 There’s nothing accidental about it. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for accidental
Recent Examples of Synonyms for accidental
Adjective
  • Each was played a stream of speech that contained relevant comments and other irrelevant information, all spoken in a flat tone.
    Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Its cable properties are increasingly irrelevant in the market, and networks like Logo, MTV and TV Land have been starved of new content for years.
    Brian Steinberg, Variety, 20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Pally goes with the flow as well as anyone, which puts an interviewer at ease — as that’s when inadvertent insults can happen.
    Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025
  • There’s concern among some Republicans that US soybean farmers, who compete with their Argentine peers to sell the crop to China, may be inadvertent victims of the rescue plan.
    Jason Ma, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Canvas Tote Bag Upgrade your standard tote bag with this canvas option that has external side pockets, a shoulder strap, and a removable carabiner.
    Rachel Trujillo, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Come prepared with ideas for reasonable accommodations, document all agreements, and seek external support resources to help manage work and treatment.
    Jamie Ducharme, Health, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Their shoes’ aesthetic blends modern minimalism with classic styles that are designed to be subtle enough for everyday wear but with a twist thanks to the footwear’s unexpected details.
    Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2025
  • But on the walk over, the night took an unexpected turn when one of the girls in his group, Holly, broke a heel.
    Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Although individual plants have a lifespan of 30-90 years, adventitious shoots grow up from roots.
    Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 5 July 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
  • Unfinished in this case does not mean unintentional, as the tray of beads inevitably waiting to be incorporated into the tapestry introduces a layer of tension (or mystery) as to what the work will become in its end state.
    Mario Rodriguez, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Deaths among those ages 5 to 19 also increased in Eastern Europe, high-income North America and the Caribbean, and among adolescents and young adults in sub-Saharan Africa, due to infectious diseases and unintentional injuries.
    Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Gray emphasized that true free play is not oriented around extrinsic goals, such as earning a high grade from a teacher or impressing a soccer coach.
    Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Those new to options trading should understand basic terms (e.g., premiums, extrinsic and intrinsic value, moneyness) and know the Greeks (measurements of an option’s sensitivity to various factors).
    Michael Martin, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • And, those costs are not always incidental, particularly with pickups.
    Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Gestures, colloquialisms, facial expressions, local cuisine, and the like are not incidental to a tongue but constitute it; sometimes, to capture a word or phrase, in writing or in an algorithm, is to stamp out its meaning.
    Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 16 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Accidental.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/accidental. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.

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