accidental

adjective

ˌak-sə-ˈden-tᵊl How to pronounce accidental (audio)
Definition of accidentalnext
1
as in chance
happening by chance finding the gold was all the more remarkable because its discovery was entirely accidental

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in irrelevant
not being a vital part of or belonging to something we're considering the painting's merit as a work of art, its commercial value being entirely accidental as far as we're concerned

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 Moisture from rain, snow or humidity can damage your laptop, but a waterproof exterior also protects it from accidental spills. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 21 July 2026 More than 900 children die from accidental drownings each year. — Tana Carson, The Conversation, 17 July 2026 Continuing to flood space with expensive hardware that is increasingly vulnerable to accidental collisions could have devastating consequences — for astronauts, obviously, but also for a modern world thoroughly dependent on satellite technology. — David M. Klein, Washington Post, 16 July 2026 Mamdani claims the snub was accidental, but critics slam the socialist mayor's selective mapping. — Staff, FOXNews.com, 16 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for accidental
Recent Examples of Synonyms for accidental
  1. inadvertent
  2. irrelevant
  3. unexpected
  4. external
  5. unintentional
  6. adventitious
  7. incidental
  8. extrinsic
Adjective
  • Only a few minutes earlier, Abulaila endured an inadvertent slap to his throat by Arnautovic on a pass into the box.
    — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 17 June 2026
  • Often, high achievers can get separated from the group, which creates an inadvertent spirit of isolationism, separating them from their peers and thereby creating an us-versus-them mentality.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 June 2026
Definition of inadvertent
Adjective
  • When Berk asked whether Farell was aware of allegations that Rivas had been violent toward Burke, the judge ruled the question irrelevant, and Farell did not answer.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 27 July 2026
  • In a wide-ranging interview with The Economist, Musk told editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes that AI and robotics will produce such an abundance of goods and services by 2036 that money will become irrelevant.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 27 July 2026
Definition of irrelevant
Adjective
  • Before Graves was appointed in December 2022, Deputy Chief Joseph Mabin served as interim chief for several months following former Chief Rick Smith’s unexpected retirement.
    — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026
  • Your donation will help ease the financial burden of funeral expenses and other unexpected costs, allowing the Brown family to focus on healing and being together.
    — Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2026
Definition of unexpected
Adjective
  • The club hired an external specialist at the end of last season on a trial basis to help analyse account login data and fans’ behaviour online to try to tackle the issues.
    — Andy Mitten, New York Times, 22 July 2026
  • When your body works against an external weight—free weights, resistance bands, or even your own body weight—your muscles experience stress and microscopic damage.
    — Jenessa Connor, Health, 21 July 2026
Definition of external
Adjective
  • Nationwide, drowning remains the leading cause of death for children ages 1-4 and the second leading cause of unintentional injury death for children ages 5-14, according to the CDC.
    — Karen Cohn, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 July 2026
  • But the unintentional fake out showed just how eager the Bronx faithful is to see Lombard in the big leagues.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 25 July 2026
Definition of unintentional
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
Definition of adventitious
Adjective
  • Kids appear to be the leading edge of this shift, not just incidental beneficiaries of it.
    — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 24 July 2026
  • If that sounds serious, please know that any anthropological assessments of our collective psyche that come out of these conversations are purely incidental.
    — Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 21 July 2026
Definition of incidental
Adjective
  • Educational psychology provides a useful framework for understanding this phenomenon through the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
    — Jason Benedict, Fortune, 7 July 2026
  • Extrinsic rewards, such as grades, do so because extrinsic desires tend to crowd out intrinsic ones.
    — David Brooks, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026
Definition of extrinsic

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Cite this Entry

“Accidental.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/accidental. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on accidental

Nglish: Translation of accidental for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about accidental

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