accidental

pronunciation

How to pronounce accidental in British English: UK [ˌæksɪˈdentl] word uk audio image

How to pronounce accidental in American English: US [ˌæksɪˈdentl] word us audio image

Noun:

a musical notation that makes a note sharp or flat or natural although that is not part of the key signature
Adjective:

associated by chance and not an integral part
occurring or appearing or singled out by chance
without intention (especially resulting from heedless action)

Word Origin

accidental (adj.): late 14c., "non-essential," from Old French accidentel or directly from Medieval Latin accidentalis, from Latin accidentem (see accident). Meaning "outside the normal course of nature" is from early 15c.; that of "coming by chance" is from 1570s.

accidental (n.): late 14c., "non-essential quality," from accidental (adj.). The musical sense is from 1868.

Synonym

adj.

unwitting haphazard fortuitous undesigned stray unlooked-for casual fluky inadvertent serendipitous unthinking unanticipated freak unforeseen unintentional unpremeditated chance unintended unplanned random unexpected

adj.

provisional conditional inessential unessential irrelevant incidental the external point dependent extraneous beside nonessential by-the-way circumstantial adventitious parenthetical contingent extrinsic

Antonym

adj.

purposed intentional planned voluntary

Example

1. It remains the world 's largest artificial accidental explosion .

2. The second time I approached tomb was quite accidental .

3. She recorded a verdict of accidental death .

4. History dictated that he also became an accidental bioethicist .

5. On january 4th the police charged the driver with accidental death .

more: >How to Use "accidental" with Example Sentences