accidental

[ak-si-den-tl]

adjective

1. happening by chance or accident; not planned; unexpected.

   an accidental meeting.

   Synonyms: unintentional
   Antonyms: contrived, planned

2. nonessential; incidental; subsidiary.

   accidental benefits.

3. Music.,  relating to or indicating sharps, flats, or naturals.

noun

1. a nonessential or subsidiary circumstance, characteristic, or feature.

2. Music.,  a sign placed before a note indicating a chromatic alteration of its pitch.

accidental

/ ˌæksɪˈdɛntəl /

adjective

1. occurring by chance, unexpectedly, or unintentionally

2. nonessential; incidental

3. music denoting sharps, flats, or naturals that are not in the key signature of a piece

4. logic (of a property) not essential; contingent

noun

1. an incidental, nonessential, or supplementary circumstance, factor, or attribute

2. music a symbol denoting a sharp, flat, or natural that is not a part of the key signature

Other Word Forms

• accidentally adverb
• accidently adverb
• accidentalness noun
• accidentality noun
• nonaccidental adjective
• nonaccidentalness noun
• preaccidental adjective
• pseudoaccidental adjective
• quasi-accidental adjective
• unaccidental adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of accidental¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Medieval Latin word accidentālis. See accident, -al ¹

Synonym Study

Accidental, casual, fortuitous all describe something outside the usual course of events. Accidental implies occurring unexpectedly or by chance: an accidental blow. Casual describes a passing event of slight importance: a casual reference. Fortuitous is applied to events occurring without known cause, often of a fortunate or favorable nature: a fortuitous shower of meteors. It often also implies good luck or good fortune: a fortuitous choice leading to rapid advancement.

Example Sentences

If it is accidental, it’s still commendable that the android’s personality fluctuations look like a conversation with that cinematic cliché.

From Salon

"These are not accidental tragedies but deliberate strategies amounting to war crimes."

From BBC

He also raised concerns about the risk of accidental contamination and a potential false positive.

From BBC

The film’s running joke is that Forrest happens to stumble into moments of great consequence, usually as a witness but sometimes as the accidental force that pushes history along.

From Salon

What’s important for our purposes is the motive of the accidental arsonist and intentional murderer.

From Salon

Related Words

• coincidental 
• inadvertent 
• incidental 
• random 
• unexpected 
• unforeseen 
• unintended 
• unintentional 
• unplanned 

When To Use

What does accidental mean?

Accidental describes something that happens by chance or without planning, as in The hero has an accidental meeting with the villain early in the movie that sets the hero on his course.Accidental can also sometimes refer to something that comes about by chance.Example: We had to sign a contract saying we are aware of the possibility of accidental injury.