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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of accidental But Ewing notes their life cycle and human behavior are conducive to accidental spreading. Calista Oetama, Sacbee.com, 22 July 2025 State and local officials said Tuesday the investigation into the fire will remain ongoing, but the preliminary evidence shows the cause of the fire was accidental. Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 22 July 2025 The Grammy-winning artist died in an accidental drowning while on a family vacation in Costa Rica at the age of 54. Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 21 July 2025 According to multiple reports, including from CNN and People Monday, Warner died Sunday following an accidental drowning while swimming during a family vacation in Costa Rica. Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 21 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for accidental
Recent Examples of Synonyms for accidental
Adjective
  • The rise of e-commerce, particularly Amazon, led to widespread belief that traditional big-box retailers would become irrelevant dinosaurs.
    Robert Daugherty, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
  • The judge ruled that evolution’s validity was irrelevant.
    Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2025
Adjective
  • How Students Are Gaming The System Students have become inadvertent experts at understanding how language shapes AI responses.
    Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 19 July 2025
  • The homeowners, meanwhile, are locked in a separate case with Ocean over what Peck said was an inadvertent naming error in filing the 2017 assignment of rights.
    Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 July 2025
Adjective
  • Another psychological factor playing into mental health challenges after winning is the external pressure and expectation to continue winning.
    Brook Choulet, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
  • Torode has now been caught up in the external report from the BBC over the popular series.
    Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 15 July 2025
Adjective
  • His unexpected cameo also served as a promotion for his Big3 basketball league, which is slated to play games at Heritage Bank Center on July 26, the last night of the Cincinnati Music Festival.
    Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 27 July 2025
  • Houser, meanwhile, continued his unexpected run, holding the Cubs scoreless for six innings before giving up a three-run homer to Reese McGuire in garbage time.
    Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 26 July 2025
Adjective
  • Although individual plants have a lifespan of 30-90 years, adventitious shoots grow up from roots.
    Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 5 July 2025
  • Lauren Heller Since Sagittarians are willing to try anything once, the Fire sign resembles Lauren's adventitious persona.
    Lisa Stardust, People.com, 31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Yang also produced some unintentional comedy due to his total lack of familiarity with the defensive-three-seconds rule.
    John Hollinger, New York Times, 23 July 2025
  • Test strips are used to prevent unintentional consumption of fentanyl in drugs like cocaine, heroin and marijuana, which are sometimes laced with synthetic opioids.
    Bayliss Wagner, Austin American Statesman, 23 July 2025
Adjective
  • As Spell-Hansson notes in her research publication, organizational leaders can be aware of the interplay of extrinsic and intrinsic barriers and opportunities and be strategic in crafting workplace cultures that will be welcoming to all potential employees.
    Susan Madsen, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
  • The most common causes of extrinsic stains are coffee, tea, red wine, colas, and smoking.
    Sherri Gordon, Health, 2 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • The majority said the law's burden on adults is incidental because adults have no First Amendment right to avoid age verification.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 27 June 2025
  • American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases.
    Ryley Amond, CNBC, 24 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Accidental.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/accidental. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

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