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 Sentences

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Recent Examples of accidental From Children of Dune, Frank Herbert's third novel in the series, it’s understood that the sandworms are not native, but were brought to Arrakis from another planet — though it's not stated whether this was accidental or intended. —

Tom Brown, Space.com, 6 Jan. 2025 Collision determined to be accidental A 69-year-old driver struck three pedestrians while turning right in a Brooklyn intersection on New Year's Eve, according to an NYPD spokesperson who declined to provide a name for attribution. —

Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY, 6 Jan. 2025 Essay Hostages to Fortune: What My Father Left Behind Katherine Laidlaw A Father’s Day reflection, one year after the accidental death of the author’s own father, on the things that gather and accumulate in his absence. —

Max Ufberg, hazlitt.net, 4 Jan. 2025 The friend recalled Easterly describing the deputy's account of his wife's death as an accidental shooting that occurred after an argument. —

Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 3 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for accidental

Recent Examples of Synonyms for accidental

Adjective

The reasoning is irrelevant; the curfew is non-negotiable.

— Mark Travers, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2025
The lawyer also argued that his client’s conduct that day is irrelevant to his travel request.

— Michael Kunzelman, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2025