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accidental

ac·ci·den·tal

accidental

 
 
pronunciation:
aek sih den tl
parts of speech:
adjective, noun
features:
Word Combinations (adjective), Word Builder, Word Explorer, Word Parts
part of speech: adjective
definition 1: happening by chance; unexpected; unintended.
The discovery of a cure for the disease was purely accidental.We take precautions to avoid accidental injury.
synonyms:
casual, chance, contingent, inadvertent, unintended, unintentional, unthinking, unwitting
antonyms:
deliberate, intended, intentional, planned, willful
similar words:
coincidental, fluky, fortuitous, incidental, random, stray, unexpected
definition 2: not part of the basic nature of a thing; secondary; incidental.
Is a sense of humor an accidental feature of human nature or an essential one?
synonyms:
accessory, adventitious, extrinsic, incidental, nonessential, secondary
antonyms:
essential
similar words:
circumstantial, collateral, extra, extraneous, inessential, subordinate, subsidiary, superfluous, unessential, unnecessary
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part of speech: noun
definition 1: a nonessential, unexpected, or supplementary factor, attribute, thing, or circumstance.
Positive effects of a treatment are sometimes caused by accidentals rather than the treatment itself.
synonyms:
nonessential
similar words:
external, incidental, supplement
definition 2: in music, a symbol that indicates that a note should be played or sung one or two semitones higher or lower than is otherwise indicated. In most cases, the pitch is to be raised or lowered by one half step, as from F natural to F sharp.
This measure has four accidentals: two flats and two naturals.
definition 3: in music, a note that is raised or lowered by one or two semitones due to the presence of an accidental.
derivation: accidentally (adv.)
Word Builder: accidental +
  • accidentally:
    by accident.
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