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accidental

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
ac·ci·den·tal  (ks-dntl)
adj.
1. Occurring unexpectedly, unintentionally, or by chance.
2. Music Of or relating to an accidental.
n.
1. A property, factor, or attribute that is not essential.
2. Music
a. Any of various signs that indicate the alteration of a note by one or two semitones or the cancellation of a previous sign.
b. A note that has been marked with such a sign.

acci·dental·ly, acci·dently adv.
acci·dental·ness n.
Synonyms: accidental, fortuitous, contingent, incidental, adventitious
These adjectives apply to what happens unintentionally. Accidental primarily refers to what occurs by chance: an accidental meeting.
It can also mean subordinate or nonessential: "Poetry is something to which words are the accidental, not by any means the essential form" (Frederick W. Robertson).
Fortuitous stresses chance even more strongly: "the happy combination of fortuitous circumstances" (Sir Walter Scott).
Contingent describes what is possible but uncertain because of unforeseen or uncontrollable factors: "The results of confession were not contingent, they were certain" (George Eliot).
Incidental refers to a minor or unanticipated result or accompaniment: "There is scarcely any practice which is so corrupt as not to produce some incidental good" (Enoch Mellor).
Adventitious applies to something acquired or added externally, sometimes by accident or chance: "The court tries to understand 'whether the young man's misconduct was adventitious or the result of some serious flaw in his character'" (Harry F. Rosenthal).

accidental [ˌæksɪˈdɛntəl]
adj
1. occurring by chance, unexpectedly, or unintentionally
2. nonessential; incidental
3. (Music / Classical Music) Music denoting sharps, flats, or naturals that are not in the key signature of a piece
4. (Philosophy / Logic) Logic (of a property) not essential; contingent
n
1. an incidental, nonessential, or supplementary circumstance, factor, or attribute
2. (Music / Classical Music) Music a symbol denoting a sharp, flat, or natural that is not a part of the key signature
accidentally  adv
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.accidentalaccidental - a musical notation that makes a note sharp or flat or natural although that is not part of the key signature
musical notation - (music) notation used by musicians
Adj.1.accidentalaccidental - happening by chance or unexpectedly or unintentionally ; "with an inadvertent gesture she swept the vase off the table"; "accidental poisoning"; "an accidental shooting"
unintended - not deliberate

accidental
adjective
2. chance, random, casual, unintentional, unintended, unplanned, fortuitous, inadvertent, serendipitous, unlooked-for, uncalculated, contingent His hand brushed against hers; it could have been accidental.
Translations
accidental [ˌæksɪˈdentl]
A. ADJ
1. (= by chance) → casual, fortuito
accidental deathmuerte f por accidente
2. (= unintentional) → imprevisto
I didn't do it deliberately, it was accidentalno lo hice adrede, fue sin querer
B. N (Mus) → accidente m

accidental [ˌæksɪˈdɛntəl] adj
(= by accident) [injury, fall, fire, damage] → accidentel(le) accidental death
(= chance) [meeting, discovery] → accidentel/elle m/f
accidental death n (LAW)mort f accidentelle

accidental
adj
(= unplanned) meeting, benefitzufällig; (= unintentional) blow, shootingversehentlich; one of the accidental effects of this scheme was …eine der Wirkungen, die dieser Plan unbeabsichtigterweise mit sich brachte, war …
(= resulting from accident) injury, deathdurch Unfall; accidental damage (Insur) → Unfallschaden m
n (Mus) (= sign)Versetzungszeichen nt, → Akzidentale f (form); (= note)erhöhter/erniedrigter Ton

accidental [ˌæksɪˈdɛntl] adj (by chance) → accidentale, fortuito/a, casuale; (unintentional) → involontario/a
accidental death → morte f accidentale

accidental عرضي náhodný hændelig zufällig τυχαίος accidental sattumanvarainen accidentel slučajan accidentale 偶然の 우연의 toevallig tilfeldig przypadkowy acidental случайный oavsiktlig เป็นเหตุบังเอิญ kaza sonucu tình cờ 偶然的


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This is the truth, and I hold by it; but at the same time it is a phenomenon which has not been repeated at any other time or place; and therefore, though I hold to it as a fact, yet I recognize that it is an accidental phenomenon, and may likely enough pass away.
Yet such is human inconsistency that one of the interests of the new place to her was the accidental virtues of its lying near her forefathers' country (for they were not Blakemore men, though her mother was Blakemore to the bone).
He cast down his eyes and hurried out as if it were none of his business, careful as he went not to inflict any accidental injury on the young lady.
 
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