Coincidentally

/ˌkoʊɪnˈsɪdɛntəli/

adverbIntermediateCommonGeneral

Definitions

1

Happening by chance or unexpectedly; simultaneously.

/ˌkoʊɪnˈsɪdɛntəli/

adverbneutralIntermediate
General

In a way that is coincidental or by chance.

Coincidentally, they both chose the same restaurant.

💡 Simply: It means something happened at the same time by pure luck, like finding a lost $5 bill right when you need to buy a snack!

👶 For kids: It's like two things happening together, but it's just a lucky accident!

More Examples

2

We met coincidentally at the library.

How It's Used

Everyday Conversation

"Coincidentally, I ran into my old friend at the grocery store."

Narrative Writing

"Coincidentally, the letter arrived on the same day as her birthday."

From 'coincidence', combining 'co-' (together) and 'incidence' (falling upon), ultimately from Latin 'incidere' (to fall upon). The '-ally' suffix indicates an adverbial form.

The word has maintained consistent usage since its emergence, reflecting the enduring human interest in chance occurrences.

Memory tip

Think 'coin' (similar) and 'incident' (event) happening together unexpectedly.

Base: coincidence
coincidentlycoincedentally

Usage

30%Spoken
70%Written