accidental
accidental — 形容詞
1. describing something that was not planned or intended, but came about by chance
意外的
非計畫、非故意而發生的
describing something that was not planned or intended, but came about by chance — for example, knocking over a glass while reaching for a phone, or meeting an old classmate at the airport.
Jamal's accidental click sent the email before she had finished writing it.
Jamal 意外點到送出鍵，信還沒寫完就寄出去了。
accidental + noun (click, fall, meeting)
The fire was accidental, caused by a candle that nobody remembered to blow out.
這場火災是意外引起的，原因是有人忘了把蠟燭吹熄。
predicative use: be accidental
Nikolai and his old teacher had an accidental meeting at the bookshop near the station.
Nikolai 在車站旁的書店偶然遇到了以前的老師。
Police believe the damage to the car was accidental rather than deliberate.
警方認為車子的損傷是意外造成的，並非有人故意。
Lior's accidental discovery of the old letters changed how she saw her grandmother.
Lior 偶然發現了那些舊信，從此對奶奶有了不同的看法。
- unintentional
stresses lack of intent more than chance
- unplanned
highlights absence of planning, neutral on cause
- chance
before a noun, like 'a chance encounter'; emphasises luck
- deliberate
done on purpose, often with effort
- intentional
formal antonym, used in legal and ethical contexts
- planned
arranged in advance
用法筆記
Often contrasted directly with 'deliberate', 'intentional', or 'on purpose' to stress that no one planned the event. Frequently modifies abstract nouns of action or result (death, damage, discovery, meeting).
常見錯誤
accidental — 名詞
1. in written music, a small symbol placed before a note to raise it, lower it, or
臨時記號
樂譜中暫時改變音高的符號
in written music, a small symbol placed before a note to raise it, lower it, or cancel an earlier change, even when the new pitch falls outside the piece's main key.
The teacher pointed to the accidental in bar four and asked Daniel to replay it.
老師指著第四小節的臨時記號，請 Daniel 再彈一次。
countable noun in a musical context
Beginners often miss the accidentals and play the wrong notes by mistake.
初學者常常漏看臨時記號，結果彈錯音。
plural form: accidentals
A sharp before a note is the most common type of accidental in this piece.
在這首曲子裡，最常見的臨時記號是音符前的升記號。
The composer used accidentals to give the melody a darker, jazz-like sound.
作曲家用臨時記號讓旋律帶有比較陰暗、像爵士樂的味道。
用法筆記
A specialist music term; the symbols include the sharp, flat, and natural signs. Distinguish from sense 2 (BIRD), which is about ornithology, not music.
2. a bird seen far from its usual region, route, or season — for example, a tropica
迷鳥
出現在非原棲地的鳥
a bird seen far from its usual region, route, or season — for example, a tropical species spotted in northern Europe after a strong storm.
Birdwatchers rushed to the coast hoping to see the storm-driven accidental.
賞鳥人趕到海邊，希望能看到那隻被暴風吹來的迷鳥。
countable noun, common in birdwatching reports
The tiny warbler was an accidental, far from its normal home in West Africa.
那隻小鶯是一隻迷鳥，離牠在西非的家鄉非常遠。
Local birders keep a careful list of every accidental that visits their wetlands.
當地的鳥友會仔細記下每一隻造訪溼地的迷鳥。
A flamingo on the rocky beach was clearly an accidental, lost from its Spanish flock.
礁岩海灘上的紅鶴顯然是迷鳥，和西班牙的鳥群走散了。
- vagrant
more technical ornithology term, same meaning
用法筆記
Used mainly by birdwatchers and ornithologists; a near-synonym is 'vagrant'. Distinguish from sense 1 (MUSIC SIGN), which is a musical symbol.