INDEX:
1. when you do something without intending to do it
2. when you do something without realizing that you are doing it
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ DELIBERATELY
something happens by chance : ↑ CHANCE
see also
↑ MISTAKE
↑ BREAK
↑ DAMAGE
↑ HURT/INJURE
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1. when you do something without intending to do it
▷ accidentally/by accident /ˌæksɪˈdentl-i, ˌæksəˈdentl-i, baɪ ˈæksə̇d ə nt/ [adverb]
▪ 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 accident also quite by accident
British
▪ I met the man quite by accident, and we began a conversation.
▷ accidental /ˌæksɪˈdentl◂, ˌæksəˈdentl◂/ [adjective]
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 waste
purely accidental
completely accidental
▪ They believe that miscalculations made on the tax forms were purely accidental.
▷ by mistake /baɪ mə̇ˈsteɪk/ [adverb]
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.
▷ mistakenly /mɪˈsteɪkənli/ [adverb]
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.
▷ not mean to do something /nɒt ˌmiːn tə ˈduː something/ [verb phrase not in progressive] 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.
▷ be an accident /biː ən ˈæksə̇d ə nt/ []
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.
▷ unintentionally /ˌʌnɪnˈtenʃ ə nəli/ [adverb]
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.
▷ unintended/unintentional /ˌʌuɪnˈtendɪd◂, ˌʌuɪnˈtendəd◂, ˌʌnɪnˈtenʃ ə nəl◂/ [adjective]
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.
2. when you do something without realizing that you are doing it
▷ inadvertently /ˌɪnədˈvɜːʳt ə ntli/ [adverb]
if you inadvertently do something, you do it without realizing you are doing it, because you are not careful enough - use this especially to talk about someone’s behaviour or movements :
▪ In a panic, I inadvertently pushed the accelerator instead of the brake.
▪ The Finance Minister inadvertently revealed budget secrets to reporters.
▪ The problem was caused by a worker who inadvertently contaminated the coffee machine by cleaning it with a toxic substance.
▷ unconsciously /ʌnˈkɒnʃəsliǁ-ˈkɑːn-/ [adverb]
if you unconsciously do something, you do it without realizing you are doing it - use this especially to talk about someone’s behaviour or movements :
▪ Martha watched the program in silence, unconsciously rubbing her hand on her dress.
▪ In conversation, some people unconsciously imitate the people they are speaking with.
▷ unconscious /ʌnˈkɒnʃəsǁ-ˈkɑːn-/ [adjective only before noun]
an action, choice etc that is unconscious is not done deliberately but it may show your true feelings :
▪ Many women are the victims of unconscious discrimination by men.
▪ His comments were an unconscious insult to Irish people.
▷ involuntary /ɪnˈvɒlənt ə riǁɪnˈvɑːlənteri/ [adjective]
involuntary movements or actions are ones that you do accidentally and that you cannot control :
▪ Her teeth were chattering and she gave an enormous involuntary shudder.
▪ With an involuntary yell of alarm, she tumbled forward.