accidentally B1 Topic:Abstract Ideas 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. unintentionallyunexpectedly 2 adv · by chance, in a way no one... casuallyfortuitously More adventitiously ↔ Opposites advertentlyadvisedlyconsciouslydeliberatelydesignedlyintentionallyknowinglypurposefullypurposelyselfconsciouslystrategicallystudiously Word family Related forms acausallyaccidentaccidentalcasuallycausallyfortunatelyinadvertentlyinvoluntarilyluckilynoncausallyunexpectedlyunfortunately Common collocations accidentally damaged Adverb + adjective Etymology AI details From accidental + -ly. *ḱh₂d- Proto-Indo-European View etymology graph -> Topics Abstract Ideas External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # 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 - Abstract Ideas markdown