ACCIDENTAL Synonyms: 89 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

accidental

adjective

ˌak-sə-ˈden-tᵊl

Definition of accidental next

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

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

Examples of accidental in a Sentence

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Recent Examples on the Web Cancer has struck the unlikely friendship between Phoenix valley residents Wanda Dench and Jamal Hinton became a Thanksgiving staple after an accidental text from the grandmother to the then-teenager went viral in 2016. —

Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 18 Oct. 2024 Most of those are accidental—drowning is the number-one cause—but the odd murder does occur. —

Graham Averill, Outside Online, 18 Oct. 2024 It hasn’t been made clear if his fall was accidental or voluntary. —

Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 17 Oct. 2024 On the show, Lyonne plays an accidental case-of-the-week murder-solver with the uncanny ability to know when people are lying — no earth-bending required. —

Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for accidental

Recent Examples of Synonyms for accidental

Adjective

Whether this is fair to the athlete or not is irrelevant, as the NFL is the fastest-moving league with the smallest sample sizes.

Tyler Small, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
Actual possession of a weapon is irrelevant and mistakes happen, Stephens said in court, adding that what matters is how Hill’s hand was presented with a glint of steel.

Deon J. Hampton, NBC News, 24 Oct. 2024