accidentally
Americanadverb
-
by chance or mistake; in a way that is not planned or intended.
If you break your key, whether accidentally or on purpose, there is a $40 charge to replace it.
-
in a nonessential or subsidiary way; incidentally.
Philosophy is essentially a vocation, and only accidentally a profession.
Usage
Spelling tips for accidentally The word accidentally is hard to spell because it can be hard to remember which letters are doubled and which are not. To add to the confusion, there are two possible spellings of accidentally. While less common, accidently is also an acceptable spelling of the word.How to spell accidentally: It's no accident that many animals have two eyes to see (C) And two ears to Listen (L). This reminds you that the letters c and l are doubled in accidentally, with an a in between.
Other Word Forms
- nonaccidentally adverb
- preaccidentally adverb
- pseudoaccidentally adverb
- quasi-accidentally adverb
- unaccidentally adverb
Etymology
Origin of accidentally
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When a young boy takes over a beaver-bot to stop a construction company’s plan to destroy the local habitat, he accidentally launches an uprising against all humanity among the local fauna.
What steps should be taken to prevent data centers from accidentally destabilizing the power grid?
Commercial aircraft have been accidentally misidentified as hostile by air-defense systems in the past, most recently when Russian defenses mistakenly shot down an Azerbaijani commercial flight in late 2024.
Huntley told jurors Holly had died accidentally after falling into his bath when he was helping her with a nosebleed.
From BBC
One man accidentally gained access to thousands of robot vacuums, exposing the AI cybernightmare risk facing millions of Americans.
From MarketWatch
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
