Accidental
Happening by chance or without deliberate planning; not intended. In music, it is also a noun for a symbol that temporarily alters a pitch.
adjectiveAccidental
Happening by chance or without deliberate planning; not intended. In music, it is also a noun for a symbol that temporarily alters a pitch.
adjectiveImagine This
Imagine you plan a routine coffee run, but you meet a former classmate by pure chance, and that chance encounter leads to a new collaboration.
Sounds Like
ak-si-DEN-tl
Looks Like
Looks like 'accident' + 'al'; the suffix -al signals an adjective form.
Remember This
Accidental describes events that occur by chance or unintentionally. In music, an accidental is a symbol (sharp, flat, or natural) that temporarily changes a pitch.
Other Forms
Connect With
chance, coincidence, fortuitous, incidental
Note
Do not confuse with 'accident' (a mishap). In everyday use, accidental means unplanned; in music, it refers to a symbol that alters a note's pitch. The adverb form is 'accidentally,' and the plural noun form in music is 'accidentals.'
Study Deeper
- The discovery was accidental, not the result of a planned experiment.
- Their meeting on the subway was accidental, yet it sparked a fruitful collaboration.
From Latin accident-, from accidΔre 'to happen' (ad- 'to' + cadere 'to fall'); via Old French accidentel, meaning 'happening by chance'.
Mnemonic: A COINCIDENCE CAUSED IT, NOT INTENDED. Remember that accidental means something that happens by chance or is not planned.
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Duplicity
nounDeceitfulness; the practice of acting with two-faced or deliberate deception.
Electic
adjectiveDerived from a broad range of sources; drawn from diverse origins; selecting from many different sources to create a varied whole.
Incidental
adjectiveHappening as a minor or accompanying part; not essential to the main purpose, or arising as a secondary consequence or accessory.
Similar Words
Related words and words with the same part of speech.
Incidental
adjectiveHappening as a minor or accompanying part; not essential to the main purpose, or arising as a secondary consequence or accessory.
Abstruse
adjectiveDifficult to understand; obscure or highly complex.
Acerbic
adjectiveSharp or biting in tone or taste; caustic or mordant in manner.
Acquiescent
adjectiveReady to agree or approve without protest; compliant.
Adamant
adjectiveRigid in opinion or purpose; not willing to change one's mind or position.
Adept
adjectiveHaving or showing a high level of skill or proficiency; very capable.