accidental
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Also seen as: accidentals
Sense 1
Pertaining to accident and not essence; thus, inessential; incidental; secondary.
Adjective
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).
Sense 2
Pertaining to accident and not essence; thus, inessential; incidental; secondary. — Nonessential to something's inherent nature (especially in Aristotelian thought).
Adjective
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).
Sense 3
A property which is not essential; a nonessential; anything happening accidentally.
Noun
Examples
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).
Sense 4
Those fortuitous effects produced by luminous rays falling on certain objects so that some parts stand forth in abnormal brightness and other parts are cast into a deep shadow.
Noun
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “accidental” mean?
Pertaining to accident and not essence; thus, inessential; incidental; secondary.
Is “accidental” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.