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 William has been regularly using his father’s lawyers Harbottle & Lewis and its partner, Gerrard Tyrrell — and made the move to Mishcon de Reya, which represented Princess Diana in her divorce from Charles a year before her accidental death. Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 4 Apr. 2025 The Bucks County coroner on Friday identified the three people as Christopher Cramp, 56, and David Cramp, 31, whose deaths were ruled as accidental, and Thomas Cramp, 24, who officials said died by suicide. Simon J. Levien, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025 The video has received nearly 4,000 comments, many of which make the case that manatee stamps may just be the accidental wedding trend of the year. Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Apr. 2025 The following day, Skyler and Gaige were pronounced dead — and authorities later determined the cause was an accidental fentanyl overdose, though the source of the drug remains unclear. David Chiu, People.com, 3 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for accidental
Recent Examples of Synonyms for accidental
Adjective
  • They’re beautifully designed and thoroughly approved—but quickly irrelevant.
    Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Wherever Detroit falls in the standings should be irrelevant Friday, though.
    Hunter Patterson, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • That inadvertent use of the policy complicated their efforts to get the fraudulent coverage revoked.
    Julie Appleby, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2025
  • Downsides exist and can undercut your efforts by inadvertent misuse or overuse of this technique.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The team was able to remove the external support in October and added a dental acrylic covering over the gap in the bone until late March.
    Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 10 Apr. 2025
  • But these laws have not historically extended to child influencers and social media stars — leaving the influencer space largely free of guidelines and any external accountability.
    CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • In 2002, Amazon required every executive to master an unexpected skill: writing press releases for products that didn’t yet exist.
    Daniel Lotzof, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
  • JuJu Watkins is receiving love from unexpected places.
    Sean Neumann, People.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Lauren Heller Since Sagittarians are willing to try anything once, the Fire sign resembles Lauren's adventitious persona.
    Lisa Stardust, People.com, 31 Mar. 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
Adjective
  • Training sessions should emphasize best practices for data security, helping employees recognize risks and avoid unintentional breaches.
    Pawel Rzeszucinski, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
  • Each year, more than 400 Americans die from unintentional carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, more than 100,000 visit the emergency room and more than 14,000 are hospitalized, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
    Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • This refers to a call spread where the in-the-money call has the same extrinsic value as the out-of-the-money call.
    Michael Khouw, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2025
  • And that is not something extrinsic, imposed by regulation or taxation, but inherent to the way the company conceives of itself, its ownership structure, its governance, its performance metrics, its finances — everything.
    IESE Business School, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • The girl who dies is almost incidental to the plot.
    Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
  • During these long missions, astronauts could get injured, causing what can be considered incidental disability.
    Jesse Rhoades, The Conversation, 11 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Accidental.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/accidental. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

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