Accidental: meaning, definitions and examples

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accidental

 

[ ˌæksəˈdɛntəl ]

Adjective / Noun
Context #1 | Adjective

involuntary

happening by chance or accident; not planned; unintentional

Synonyms

unexpected, unintentional, unplanned.

Examples of usage

  • an accidental meeting with an old friend
  • an accidental spill of coffee on the table
Context #2 | Noun

event

an event that happens by chance or that is not planned

Synonyms

chance happening, incident, occurrence.

Examples of usage

  • The car crash was just an unfortunate accidental
  • The fire was an accidental caused by faulty wiring

Translations

Translations of the word "accidental" in other languages:

🇵🇹 acidental

🇮🇳 आकस्मिक

🇩🇪 zufällig

🇮🇩 kebetulan

🇺🇦 випадковий

🇵🇱 przypadkowy

🇯🇵 偶然の (ぐうぜんの)

🇫🇷 accidentel

🇪🇸 accidental

🇹🇷 tesadüfi

🇰🇷 우연한 (uyeonhan)

🇸🇦 عرضي

🇨🇿 náhodný

🇸🇰 náhodný

🇨🇳 偶然的 (ǒurán de)

🇸🇮 naključen

🇮🇸 tilviljunarkennt

🇰🇿 кездейсоқ

🇬🇪 შემთხვევითი

🇦🇿 təsadüfi

🇲🇽 accidental

Etymology

The word 'accidental' originated from the Latin word 'accidentalis', meaning 'non-essential'. In English, it first appeared in the 14th century with the meaning of 'happening by chance'. Over the years, the word has evolved to represent events or actions that are not planned or intentional.

See also: accident, accidentally.

Word Frequency Rank

At #6,357 in frequency, this word belongs to advanced vocabulary. It's less common than core vocabulary but important for sophisticated expression.