accidentally

B1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˌæk.sɪˈdɛnt(ə)li/ See IPA manual

Freq #4935

Meanings

1

adv
By chance and not on purpose.

He accidentally deleted the whole file.
2

adv
By chance, in a way no one planned.

They met accidentally at the airport.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adv · by chance and not on purpose. unintentionally unexpectedly

2 adv · by chance, in a way no one... casually fortuitously

More adventitiously

Opposites

advertently advisedly consciously deliberately designedly intentionally knowingly purposefully purposelyselfconsciouslystrategically studiously

Word family

Related forms acausallyaccident accidental casually causally fortunately inadvertently involuntarily luckilynoncausallyunexpectedly unfortunately

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

accidentally damaged
harmed through an unintended action or event

Adverb + adjective

Etymology

From accidental + -ly.

*ḱh₂d- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# accidentally

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** adv
**IPA (US):** /ˌæk.sɪˈdɛnt(ə)li/
**Frequency rank:** 4935

## Meanings
1. By chance and not on purpose.
2. By chance, in a way no one planned.

## Examples
- He accidentally deleted the whole file.
- They met accidentally at the airport.

## Synonyms
- adventitiously
- fortuitously

## Antonyms
- advertently
- advisedly
- consciously
- deliberately
- designedly
- intentionally
- knowingly
- purposefully
- purposely
- selfconsciously
- strategically
- studiously

## Related Forms
- acausally
- accident
- accidental
- casually
- causally
- fortunately
- inadvertently
- involuntarily
- luckily
- noncausally
- unexpectedly
- unfortunately

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *ḱh₂d-

## Etymology
From accidental + -ly.

## AI Etymology
Accidentally is from accidental plus -ly. The historical chain also includes Proto-Indo-European *ḱh₂d-. The suffix -ly recasts accidental as an adverb: the lexical idea remains recognizable, but the word now describes manner, degree, or circumstance rather than naming the quality by itself. In use as an adverb, accidentally denotes by chance and not on purpose and by chance, in a way no one planned. The same word family continues in related entries such as acausally, accident, accidental, and casually.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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