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accidental

adjective
ac·​ci·​den·​tal | \ ËŒak-sÉ™-ˈden-tᵊl How to pronounce accidental (audio) \

Definition of accidental

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1a : occurring unexpectedly or by chance an accidental discovery Their meeting was purely accidental.
b : happening without intent or through carelessness and often with unfortunate results The death was ruled accidental.
2 : arising from extrinsic causes : incidental, nonessential
3 of a bird : appearing outside its normal geographic range, migration route, or season

accidental

noun

Definition of accidental (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a nonessential property
2a music : a note foreign to a key indicated by a signature
b : a prefixed sign indicating an accidental
3 : a bird found outside its normal geographic range, migration route, or season : vagrant
Other Words from accidental Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Incidental vs. Accidental More Example Sentences Learn More about accidental

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Other Words from accidental

Adjective

accidentally \ ËŒak-​sÉ™-​ˈdent-​lÄ“ How to pronounce accidentally (audio) , -​ˈden-​tᵊl-​Ä“ \ or less commonly accidently \ -​ˈdent-​lÄ“ How to pronounce accidently (audio) \ adverb
accidentalness \ -​ˈden-​tᵊl-​nÉ™s How to pronounce accidentalness (audio) \ noun

Choose the Right Synonym for accidental

Adjective

accidental, fortuitous, casual, contingent mean not amenable to planning or prediction. accidental stresses chance. any resemblance to actual persons is entirely accidental fortuitous so strongly suggests chance that it often connotes entire absence of cause. a series of fortuitous events casual stresses lack of real or apparent premeditation or intent. a casual encounter with a stranger 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

Incidental vs. Accidental

One sense of incidental is defined as "occurring merely by chance or without intention or calculation ," and one of the most common meanings of accidental in modern use is "occurring unexpectedly or by chance," so it is not surprising that the two words are sometimes confused. However, in almost all settings in which they will be found today, these words have distinct meanings. Incidental is most often used in the sense "being likely to ensue as a chance or minor consequence," or "minor" (as in "there were some incidental expenses that I paid myself").

Examples of accidental in a Sentence

Adjective

 an accidental discovery of oil The timing of the announcement was purely accidental. The death was ruled accidental.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

 In cases of accidental death or injury on international flights, airlines must pay families a minimum liability, regardless of fault, of about $170,000 per victim, according to the international Montreal Convention agreement. — Melissa Chan, Time, "Just About Everyone But the Gun Maker Gets Sued After a Mass Shooting," 20 Aug. 2019 The group’s previous complaint against Hopkins came in February and was related to the accidental crushing death of a marmoset. — Meredith Cohn, baltimoresun.com, "Johns Hopkins researchers caused harm, death of dogs, animal rights group says in federal complaint," 13 Aug. 2019 Another turning point in Wallace’s life was the 1962 accidental death of his 19-year-old son Peter while on vacation in Greece, a tragedy that galvanized Wallace to concentrate his energy on serious news. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Review: ‘Mike Wallace Is Here’ is as tough minded as the man himself," 2 Aug. 2019 The guidelines are intended to avoid accidental suffocation deaths. — oregonlive.com, "3rd company recalls inclined infant sleeper after baby deaths," 31 July 2019 The outlet also reports that police are investigating the incident as an accidental hot car death. — Joelle Goldstein, PEOPLE.com, "Twin Infants Found Dead in Car 'Foaming at the Mouth' After Being 'Forgotten' Inside All Day," 27 July 2019 Since then, the number has doubled, and opioids have overtaken automobile accidents as the top cause of accidental death in the country. — Fortune, "As the Opioid Crisis Grew, Manufacturers Supplied and Doctors Prescribed Stronger Pills," 24 July 2019 The case is being closed and classified as an accidental death. — Allyson Chiu, Twin Cities, "An Iowa supermarket worker vanished 10 years ago. He was trapped behind a cooler the whole time.," 23 July 2019 The case is being closed and classified as an accidental death. — al.com, "Nebraska supermarket worker missing 10 years was trapped behind freezer since 2009," 23 July 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

 Sayers said Musser died of blunt force trauma and ruled the death accidental. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Man killed while cutting down trees, death ruled accidental," 18 Aug. 2019 The state medical examiner later ruled his death accidental. — Alison Knezevich, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore County agrees to pay $1.1M to settle lawsuit alleging excessive police force in death of 21-year-old," 5 Aug. 2019 The Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death accidental. — Sophie Carson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Boy, 8, dies when father accidentally runs him over with farming equipment," 27 July 2019 The Oregon Medical Examiner's Office ruled the death accidental. — Gillian Flaccus, Fox News, "DA: Missing woman died instantly in jump from mom's car," 27 Sep. 2018 The Hamilton County Coroner ruled the death accidental. — Cameron Knight, Cincinnati.com, "Source: Rear seat of minivan flipped, pinned Seven Hills student Kyle Plush," 12 Apr. 2018 The medical examiner’s office ruled his death accidental. — Jessica Anderson, baltimoresun.com, "Family of Baltimore County man who died days after encounter with police files lawsuit," 18 Sep. 2017 The medical examiner’s office ruled Stokely’s death accidental. — Peter Hermann, Washington Post, "Children left alone at day care where toddler died in pool, investigation finds," 31 Aug. 2017 A concurrent investigation by the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office said Tice was killed by blunt-force trauma to his head and ruled the death accidental. — The Denver Post, The Mercury News, "California yoga mogul’s mysterious death: Trevor Tice’s drunken last hours detailed," 27 Jan. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'accidental.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of accidental

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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