Meaning & Definition of Accidental in English

Detailed Definitions

• Definition: occurring by chance rather than by design.

  Example Sentence: The accidental discovery of the ancient ruins changed our understanding of the history.

• Definition: resulting from an unintentional act.

  Example Sentence: Her accidental slip of the tongue revealed the surprise party plans.

• Definition: not essential; incidental.

  Example Sentence: The accidental details in the report were deemed irrelevant.

Etymology

Origin: Latin 'accidens', meaning 'happening' or 'occurring'.

Synonyms

Common Phrases and Expressions

• accidental inheritance: an inheritance received unintentionally or unexpectedly.
• accidental tourist: a person who ends up traveling somewhere by chance or due to unforeseen circumstances.
• accidental hero: someone who becomes a hero by chance rather than intention.

Translations

• Spanish: accidental

• French: accidental

• German: zufällig

• Russian: случайный

Related Words

• accident: an unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally.

• coincidental: happening by coincidence; not planned.

• fortuity: a chance occurrence, especially an unexpected one.

Slang Meanings of accidental

• Meaning: a mistake that turned out to be positive

  Example Sentence: That accidental text actually set us up on a date!

• Meaning: something unplanned that leads to fun

  Example Sentence: We had an accidental adventure when we missed our stop.