accidental
Syllables: ac·ci·den·tal/ˌæk.sɪˈdɛn.tl̩/
accidental adjective: pertaining to accident and not essence; thus, inessential; incidental; secondary.
Adjective
accidental (comparative more accidental, superlative most accidental)
- Pertaining to accident and not essence; thus, inessential; incidental; secondary.
- It would be absurd to say that Marxism was predestined to become the ideology of the self-glorifying Russian bureaucracy. Nevertheless, it contained essential features, as opposed to accidental or secondary ones, that made it adaptable to this purpose.1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume III: The Breakdown, Oxford: Clarendon Press, translation of Główne nurty marksizmu: rozkład (in...
- Nonessential to something's inherent nature (especially in Aristotelian thought).
- Adjusted by one or two semitones, in temporary departure from the key signature.
- Occurring sometimes, by chance; occasional.
- Happening by chance, or unexpectedly; taking place not according to the usual course of things; by accident, unintentional.
- The discovery was purely accidental.
- He was killed by an accidental gunshot.
- Synonyms:
- adventitious
- Being a double point with two distinct tangent planes in 4-dimensional projective space.
Noun
accidental (plural accidentals)
- A property which is not essential; a nonessential; anything happening accidentally.
- He conceived it just that accidentals ... should sink with the substance of the accusation.1662, Fuller, Worthies of England
- Those fortuitous effects produced by luminous rays falling on certain objects so that some parts stand forth in abnormal brightness and other parts are cast into a deep shadow.
- A sharp, flat, or natural, occurring not at the commencement of a piece of music as the signature, but before a particular note.
- Part of a text that has a mainly structural purpose, such as spelling, punctuation, or capitalization.
accidental meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu
accidental in Hindi
- happening by chance
- आकस्मिक ākasmik, संयोगी sãyogī, आगंतुक āgantuk, इत्तफ़ाक़िया ittafāqiyā
accidental in Tamil
- எதிர்பாராது நேரும், எதிர்பாராமல், தற்செயலான, தற்செயலாய் நிகழும், தற்செயலாய் நிகழ்வதான, தற்செயல்
accidental in Marathi
- अपघाती
accidental in Urdu
- happening by chance
- حادثاتی hādsātī, ناگہاں nāgahā̃
More languagesFewer languages
- accidental in Telugu
- ప్రమాదవశాత్తు, ప్రమాదవశాత్తూ
- accidental in Malayalam
- അപ്രധാനമായ, ആകസ്മികമായ, യാദൃച്ഛികമായ, ആകസ്മികമായി
- accidental in Kannada
- ಆಕಸ್ಮಿಕ
- accidental in Punjabi
- ਦੁਰਘਟਨਾਤਮਕ
- accidental in Gujarati
- આકસ્મિક
- accidental in Sanskrit
- अकाण्ड akāṇḍa, आगामिन् āgāmin
- accidental in Nepali
- आकस्मिक
- accidental in Arabic
- عَرْضِيّ ʕarḍiyy
- accidental in Persian
- تصادفی tasâdofi
Examples of accidental in a sentence
- Lexical gaps are called accidental because their existence is by accident; it is not essential.
- The accidental amputation was due to the guard not being on the lathe.
- Despite these testimonies, "accidental asphyxiation" remains his official cause of death.
Synonyms of accidental
- adventitious
- circumstantial
- incidental
- casual
- contingent
- fortuitous
- occasional
- serendipitous
- by accident
- by the by
9 more synonymsFewer synonyms
Antonyms
Forms of accidental
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| comparative | more accidental |
| superlative | most accidental |
| alternative form (obsolete) | accidentall |
| Noun | |
| plural | accidentals |
Origin of accidental
From Middle English accidental, from Anglo-Norman accidentel, Middle French accidentel, accidental, and their source, Late Latin accidēntālis; corresponding to accident + -al.
Words formed from accidental
- accidental abortion
- accidental chord
- accidental chords
- accidental color
- accidental colors
- accidental colour
- accidental death
- accidental gap
- accidentalism
- accidentalist
- accidentality
- accidental light
- accidental lights
- accidentally
- accidentalness
- accidental point
- accidental property
- nonaccidental
- pseudoaccidental
- unaccidental
Phrases with accidental
Words that rhyme with accidental
- mental
- transcendental
- complemental
- gentle
- elemental
- oriental
- rental
- trental
- continental
- dental
- experimental
- instrumental
48 more rhymesFewer rhymes
- incruental
- lentil
- predental
- temperamental
- bidental
- cental
- coincidental
- decremental
- documental
- emolumental
- environmental
- firmamental
- interdental
- interdepartmental
- judgmental
- occidental
- parliamental
- pseudodental
- submental
- supradental
- addental
- adjustmental
- advectional
- affectational
- agro-environmental
- alimental
- alveolodental
- amental
- antidental
- apartmental
- apicodental
- aplacental
- argental
- argumental
- atlantodental
- atramental
- bimental
- bioenvironmental
- biparental
- cemental
- cervicomental
- cliental
- compartmental
- componental
- craniodental
- departmental
- developmental
- diaplacental
Questions about accidental
- What does accidental mean?
- Accidental means pertaining to accident and not essence; thus, inessential; incidental; secondary.
- What is accidental in Hindi?
- Accidental in Hindi is आकस्मिक (ākasmik), संयोगी (sãyogī), आगंतुक (āgantuk). See Accidental meaning in Hindi.
- What part of speech is accidental?
- Accidental can be an adjective or a noun.
- How do you pronounce accidental?
- Accidental is pronounced /ˌæk.sɪˈdɛn.tl̩/.
Words near accidental in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: accidental (page history and authors); accidental (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); accidental (Marathi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); accidental (Telugu, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); accidental (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); accidental (Kannada, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); accidental (Punjabi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); accidental (Gujarati, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); अकाण्ड (Sanskrit) (page history and authors); accidental (Nepali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
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Cite this entry: “accidental.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/accidental. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.