accidentalac‧ci‧den‧tal /ˌæksəˈdentl◂/ ●●○ adjective 
an accidental discharge of toxic waste Buy an insurance policy that covers accidental damage.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- A system of valves limits accidental releases of the substance.
- Are you insured against accidental damage to your property?
- Regulations are need to limit accidental releases of these chemicals.
- She touched his elbow so timidly that he thought it must have been accidental.
- They believe that miscalculations made on the tax forms were purely accidental.
- It is better not to extend what was, after all, an accidental and purely professional relationship.
- Lugar, 63, has tried to portray his life in politics as merely accidental.
- Seven years later, it lost its second main tourist accommodation when the Lake was burned down in an accidental fire.
- Sister Aimee died in 1944, from an accidental overdose of sleeping tablets.
- Such reports are routine in the case of accidental death, he said.
- The coroner recorded verdicts of accidental death.
- The group, which includes about 600 financial planners from around the country, contends the confusion is not accidental.
- This standard ensures the unit is waterproof and so prevents an accidental, and potentially fatal, combination of water and electricity.
Longman Language Activatorwhen you do something without intending to do it
· I accidentally burnt a hole in her sofa with my cigarette.· An 11-month-old baby died after accidentally swallowing several of the tablets.· Fleming discovered the drug by accident, when he was researching something else.completely by accidentalso quite by accident British · I met the man quite by accident, and we began a conversation.
happening without being planned or intended: · She touched his elbow so timidly that he thought it must have been accidental.· an accidental discharge of toxic wastepurely accidental (=completely accidental): · They believe that miscalculations made on the tax forms were purely accidental.
if you do something by mistake , you intend to do one thing, but you accidentally do something else instead: · Michelle must have picked up my keys by mistake.· I opened this by mistake, Paula, but I think it's for you - sorry.· Gary wandered into the wrong hotel room by mistake.
if you mistakenly do something, you intend to do one thing, but you accidentally do something else instead, especially because you are confused: · The crew had mistakenly shut down the engine, and the plane went out of control.· A handful of people die each year from mistakenly eating poisonous fungi.
especially spoken to do something accidentally - use this especially when expressing the idea that you are sorry for something that you have done, or when you think you are being unfairly blamed for something: · I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings.· I'm sure he didn't mean to yell at you - he was just angry.· Sorry folks, I don't mean to interrupt your dinner.· If we've offended you in some way, we didn't mean to.
if you say that something was an accident, you mean that you are sorry it happened, but it was not done deliberately: · Marris told the police the killing was an accident· Don't blame yourself - it was an accident.
if you do something unintentionally , especially something bad, you do it even though you do not intend to do it: · Teachers often unintentionally favor certain students.· The advertisement unintentionally offended Scottish people.· Several scenes in the movie are unintentionally funny.
use this about something you do without intending to, especially something that annoys, upsets, or causes problems for someone else: · The senator apologised, saying any offense his remarks had caused had been completely unintentional.· One originally unintended consequence of the discussions was the setting up of an official inquiry into the department's funding.
happening by chance: chance meeting/remark/discovery etc a meeting etc that happens unexpectedly and was not planned or arranged: · Their friendship was the result of a chance meeting.· A chance encounter at the conference gave him the opportunity to tell the professor about his work.· Wilson hoped his chance discovery would benefit poor families in developing nations.
happening by chance, without being planned or intended, especially in a way that has a bad result : · Are you insured against accidental damage to your property?· A system of valves limits accidental releases of the substance.
formal happening by chance, especially in a way that has a good result: · A fortuitous fire destroyed all evidence of his wrongdoing.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Buy an insurance policy that covers accidental damage.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
Buy an insurance policy that covers accidental damage. (=caused by an accident)· The insurance covers you for accidental damage to your possessions while you are on holiday.
(=caused by accident, not deliberately)· The jury returned a verdict of accidental death.
(=happening by chance)· Some of the tombs were the result of chance discoveries.
(=someone who becomes a hero by chance)· He became an accidental hero after discovering the injured child while out walking.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· Yet another option is to buy a policy which itself covers accidental damage without the need for buying a separate extension.· Most expensive of all is an all-risks policy which also gives wide cover against accidental damage.· Personal Liability ... Up to £500,000 To cover your legal liability for accidental injury to third parties or accidental damage to their property.· The pipes or cables must require repair or replacement due to accidental damage not due to wear and tear.· All pipes should be bracketed to avoid accidental damage.· The cost of tracing the damage is covered provided there has been accidental damage to the pipes or cables.· We found it was more useful in stopping the debarking of trees or accidental damage to shrubs.
· On 4 December 1985 the inquest returned a verdict of accidental death.· Many more accidents and accidental deaths occur off the job than at work.· The coroner recorded verdicts of accidental death.· Such reports are routine in the case of accidental death, he said.· A verdict of accidental death was recorded at an inquest last week.· Personally, I'd put my money on accidental death without a second thought.· Extra benefits include cash payments of up to £13,000 for certain permanent injuries and £2,500 left to your estate following accidental death.
· Personal Liability ... Up to £500,000 To cover your legal liability for accidental injury to third parties or accidental damage to their property.· In contrast, accidental injuries rose only 6 percent.· On top of all these was the risk of accidental injury or death.· Personal liability £1,000,000 Your legal liability for accidental injury to third parties or damage to their property.
· At the extreme, accidental loss of life could result in the charge of manslaughter.
WORD FAMILYnounaccidentadjectiveaccidentaladverbaccidentally
happening without being planned or intended OPP deliberate: an accidental discharge of toxic waste Buy an insurance policy that covers accidental damage.