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 fatalities were from accidental compressive asphyxiation. Kate Perez, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2025 The cause of the fire remains under investigation but is thought to be accidental, Dallas Fire-Rescue officials said. Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 July 2025 Mike's death was initially ruled an accidental drowning, despite the suspicion surrounding it. EW.com, 31 July 2025 The coroner listed his cause of death as traumatic blunt-force injuries and the manner of death as accidental. Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 30 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for accidental
Recent Examples of Synonyms for accidental
Adjective
  • Nearly half of teachers believe that the professional development courses offered or demanded by their schools are largely irrelevant.
    Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 8 Aug. 2025
  • The future of sales is about asking the questions that make your competitors' answers irrelevant.
    B.D. Dalton, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • How Students Are Gaming The System Students have become inadvertent experts at understanding how language shapes AI responses.
    Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 19 July 2025
  • The homeowners, meanwhile, are locked in a separate case with Ocean over what Peck said was an inadvertent naming error in filing the 2017 assignment of rights.
    Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 July 2025
Adjective
  • Deep scaling is often more cost-effective than geographic expansion, leaving more cash for reinvestment rather than requiring external funding.
    Tima Bansal, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
  • The partnership also will allow Logistics Plus to utilize the Joe Moore Award in both its external marketing and internal communications efforts, including asset-branding and internal employee recognition programs.
    Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Pierson’s rise, powered in part by promoting her one-time net worth estimate from Forbes, almost led her into an unexpected deal… Forbes itself.
    Monica Hunter-Hart, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
  • When an unexpected request comes from a dissident singer in hiding, his solitude and routine is broken — and so is to an extent his passivity.
    Callum McLennan, Variety, 7 Aug. 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
  • 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
Adjective
  • This unintentional genesis has become one of Camp VC’s greatest strengths.
    Afdhel Aziz, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
  • Consumption of the liquid in these cans will result in unintentional alcohol ingestion.
    Emma Marsden, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • As Spell-Hansson notes in her research publication, organizational leaders can be aware of the interplay of extrinsic and intrinsic barriers and opportunities and be strategic in crafting workplace cultures that will be welcoming to all potential employees.
    Susan Madsen, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
  • The most common causes of extrinsic stains are coffee, tea, red wine, colas, and smoking.
    Sherri Gordon, Health, 2 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Work requirements will make fraudulent enrollment, whether deliberate or incidental, even harder to sustain.
    Jeremy Nighohossian, Boston Herald, 3 Aug. 2025
  • But the two are easy to conflate and can have some incidental overlap, which can be politically useful.
    Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 10 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Accidental.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/accidental. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on accidental

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