coincidental

IPA/kəʊˌɪnsɪˈdentl/
KK[koˌɪnsədˈɛntəl]IPA/kəʊˌɪnsɪˈdentl/

coincidental — adjective

  • coincidentalpositive
  • more coincidentalcomparative
  • most coincidentalsuperlative

1. describing an event, connection, or similarity that happens through chance rathe

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing an event, connection, or similarity that happens through chance rather than planning or intention

Example

Yara's call during the fire drill was purely coincidental.

be + coincidental for an unplanned connection

Christopher noticed a coincidental similarity between the two posters.

coincidental + similarity collocation

Common collocations
  • coincidental meeting
  • coincidental similarity
  • coincidental timing
  • coincidental match
Synonyms
  • accidental

    often stresses that something was not intended, especially a mistake or event

  • chance

    more informal and often used before nouns like meeting or encounter

  • fortuitous

    more formal and sometimes suggests lucky timing

Antonyms
  • planned

    arranged in advance instead of happening through chance

  • deliberate

    done on purpose, not accidental or chance-based

Grammar Patterns

coincidental + noun

be + coincidental

Usage Note

Usually describes meetings, similarities, timing, or other links that seem connected only because chance put them together. Distinguish from sense 2, which mainly marks two things as happening in the same period and often appears with with.

Common Mistakes

Their friendship is coincidental.
Their meeting was coincidental.
Use coincidental for an event or link that happened by chance, not for a relationship itself.

2. describing something that appears during the same period as another event, witho

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

describing something that appears during the same period as another event, without showing that one caused the other

Example

The drop in sales was coincidental with the road closure.

be + coincidental with + event

Coincidental delays in trains and buses stranded commuters downtown.

coincidental + plural noun for parallel events

Common collocations
  • coincidental with the reform
  • coincidental delays
  • coincidental changes
  • coincidental rise
Synonyms
  • simultaneous

    more common and often stresses the exact same moment

  • concurrent

    more formal and often used for processes or developments running in parallel

  • parallel

    suggests similar developments happening side by side, sometimes over a longer period

Antonyms
  • separate

    happening in different periods or without temporal overlap

  • sequential

    happening one after another instead of together

Grammar Patterns

be + coincidental + with + noun phrase

coincidental + plural noun

Usage Note

Usually follows be and is often completed by with to link two events, changes, or conditions that happen in the same period. Distinguish from sense 1, which adds the idea that the connection itself is due to chance.

Common Mistakes

The delay was coincidental to the storm.
The delay was coincidental with the storm.
This sense normally uses with to show the second event happening alongside the first.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Accidental, chance, random, and fortuitous can all describe something that was not planned, but they point to different ideas. Coincidental is best when two events, numbers, or meetings seem connected only because they happened together by chance. Accidental usually means something was not done on purpose, especially a mistake, injury, or breakage. Chance is a simpler everyday choice, often before nouns like meeting or encounter. Random is informal and suggests no clear pattern at all. Fortuitous is more formal and sometimes hints that the result was lucky. Use coincidental when the key idea is an unexpected match in timing or detail, not merely lack of intention.

accidental ↗chance ↗random ↗fortuitous ↗

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Coincidental comes from coincidence, a word built from Latin parts meaning 'fall together.' That image helps explain the modern meanings: two events may seem to meet by chance, or they may happen in the same period. English later added the adjective ending -al to form coincidental for descriptions of timing, meetings, and unexpected similarities.

First known use

1800

1800, in the meaning defined at sense 1