coincidental
coincidental Lexical Profile
coincidental Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Resulting from a coincidence; occurring or existing together purely by chance rather than by design, plan, or causal connection.
"Any resemblance between the characters in the novel and real people is purely coincidental."
Happening or existing at the same time; concurrent or simultaneous.
"The sudden drop in atmospheric pressure was coincidental with the arrival of the coastal storm front."
Word Nuance & Usage
'Coincidental' most commonly refers to events happening together purely by chance, whereas 'coincident' is preferred in technical, mathematical, or formal contexts to describe things that occupy the exact same space or occur at the exact same time without implying randomness.
• Rhymes for coincidental
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the 17th century from 'coincidence' or 'coincident' plus the suffix '-al', ultimately tracing back to Medieval Latin 'coincidere' ('to fall upon together'), from 'co-' ('together') and Latin 'incidere' ('to fall upon or happen').