Accident vs. Incident
Accident and incident are two separate words which are often mixed up in their meanings and used incorrectly. Hence, there is a need for understanding the basic difference between an accident and an incident. An accident can be considered to be any unfortunate event which results in the loss of goods, kinds or life. It is an unplanned event which can cause a major loss to the individuals involved. On the other hand, incidents are anything that occurs. This thing can have either positive or negative implications and may be planned or unplanned. Therefore, accident and incident are two different words with different spheres of usage and the differences must be remembered.
Key Differences
An accident is always considered big as it involves the loss of one way or the other but an incident may be big or small and may not lead to the loss of anything.
An accident is never funny, but incidents can also have the humorous implications sometimes. The humor quotient in an accident is absolutely null, but that of an incident has a probable chance.
Aimie Carlson
May 25, 2018
An accident is always unintentional as no one tends to incur death upon himself/herself intentionally. If the accident gets intentional, then it has various names like suicide and murder, based upon the nature of the event. But an incident can be both intentional and unintentional, and may not lead to the severities like a death in every case.
An accident is always the result of an error. It is a human or machinery activity which is caused by the fault of either of the parties. But incidents are not always the results of error and can very well be considered to be planned happening.
Harlon Moss
May 25, 2018
An accident is always an incident, but not all incidents can be called accidents.
An accident will always be accompanied by the loss or damage of something, but not all incidents imply towards any damage taking place. They are mere events happening, which can range from being funny to tragic.
Harlon Moss
May 25, 2018
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Grief, guilt or sadness will always follow an accident, but this may not be the case with incidents. As incidents deal with various emotions, they can equally have various resultant expressions as well.
Comparison Chart
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Accident is always unfortunate and negative.
Incident can be either negative or positive.
Result
Accident is something that occurs and causes the loss of life, kinds or goods.
Incident may or may not involve the loss of things.
Treatment
The accident is always unplanned and preferred to be avoided.
An incident can be planned or unplanned, both.
Specification
As accident is not intentional, it can be called a result of an error.
An incident can be either intentional or unintentional, and hence, it is not the result of an error.
Relevance
All accidents are incidents.
Not all incidents are accidents.
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Accident and Incident Definitions
Accident
An unexpected and undesirable event, especially one resulting in damage or harm
An accident on the assembly line.
Car accidents on icy roads.
Incident
A particular occurrence, especially one of minor importance.
Accident
An unforeseen event that is not the result of intention or has no apparent cause
A series of happy accidents led to his promotion.
Incident
An event in a narrative or drama.
Accident
An instance of involuntary urination or defecation.
Incident
A usually violent or disruptive occurrence, especially one that precipitates a larger crisis
An international incident that provoked war.
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Accident
Lack of intention; chance
Ran into an old friend by accident.
Incident
An occurrence that interrupts normal procedure or functioning; a mishap
The plane landed without incident.
Accident
(Philosophy) An attribute of a substance that is not essential to its nature.
Incident
(Law) Something contingent on or related to something else.
Accident
An unexpected event with negative consequences occurring without the intention of the one suffering the consequences, and (in the strict sense) not directly caused by humans.
To die by an accident such as an act of God
Act of God
Incident
Tending to arise or occur as a result or accompaniment
"There is a professional melancholy ... incident to the occupation of a tailor" (Charles Lamb).
Accident
(legal) casus; such unforeseen, extraordinary, extraneous interference as is out of the range of ordinary calculation.
Incident
(Law) Related to or dependent on another thing.
Accident
(transportation) A collision or crash of a vehicle, aircraft, or other form of transportation that causes damage to the transportation involved; and sometimes injury or death to the transportation's occupants or bystanders in close proximity.
There was a huge accident on I5 involving 15 automobiles.
My insurance went up after the second accident in three months.
Incident
(Physics) Falling upon or striking a surface
Incident radiation.
Accident
Any chance event.
Incident
An event or occurrence.
She could not recall the time of the incident.
It was an incident that he hoped to forget.
The suspect was released without further incident.
Accident
(uncountable) Chance; random chance.
Incident
A (relatively minor) event that is incidental to, or related to others.
Accident
Any property, fact, or relation that is the result of chance or is nonessential or nonsubstantive.
Beauty is an accident.
Lexical gaps are called accidental because their existence is by accident; it is not essential.
Incident
An event that causes or may cause an interruption or a crisis, such as a workplace illness or a software error.
Accident
(grammar) A property attached to a word, but not essential to it, such as gender, number, or case.
Incident
Arising as the result of an event, inherent.
Accident
(euphemistic) An instance of incontinence.
Incident
Falling on or striking a surface.
The incident light illuminated the surface.
Accident
Urine or feces excreted due to incontinence.
Incident
Coming or happening accidentally; not in the usual course of things; not in connection with the main design; not according to expectation; casual; fortuitous.
Accident
(euphemistic) An unintended pregnancy.
Incident
Liable to happen; apt to occur; befalling; hence, naturally happening or appertaining.
Accident
A person born from an unintended pregnancy.
Taylor was our sweet little accident, and we're so glad!
Well I may be annoying but at least I'm not an accident like you are
Incident
(legal) Dependent upon, or appertaining to, another thing, called the principal.
Accident
(geology) An irregular surface feature with no apparent cause.
Incident
Falling or striking upon, as a ray of light upon a reflecting surface.
Accident
(geology) A sudden discontinuity of ground such as fault of great thickness, bed or lentil of unstable ground.{{cite book|
Incident
Coming or happening accidentally; not in the usual course of things; not in connection with the main design; not according to expectation; casual; fortuitous.
As the ordinary course of common affairs is disposed of by general laws, so likewise men's rarer incident necessities and utilities should be with special equity considered.
Accident
(heraldry) A point or mark which may be retained or omitted in a coat of arms.
Incident
Liable to happen; apt to occur; befalling; hence, naturally happening or appertaining.
All chances incident to man's frail life.
The studies incident to his profession.
Accident
(transportation) Designating any form of transportation involved in an accident.
The NTSB report revealed that the accident airplane was a Cessna 172.
Incident
Dependent upon, or appertaining to, another thing, called the principal.
Accident
Literally, a befalling; an event that takes place without one's foresight or expectation; an undesigned, sudden, and unexpected event; chance; contingency; often, an undesigned and unforeseen occurrence of an afflictive or unfortunate character; a casualty; a mishap; as, to die by an accident.
Of moving accidents by flood and field.
Thou cam'st not to thy place by accident:It is the very place God meant for thee.
Incident
That which falls out or takes place; an event; casualty; occurrence.
Accident
A property attached to a word, but not essential to it, as gender, number, case.
Incident
That which happens aside from the main design; an accidental or subordinate action or event.
No person, no incident, in a play but must be of use to carry on the main design.
Accident
A point or mark which may be retained or omitted in a coat of arms.
Incident
Something appertaining to, passing with, or depending on, another, called the principal.
Accident
A property or quality of a thing which is not essential to it, as whiteness in paper; an attribute.
Incident
A single distinct event
Accident
Any accidental property, fact, or relation; an accidental or nonessential; as, beauty is an accident.
This accident, as I call it, of Athens being situated some miles from the sea.
Incident
A public disturbance;
The police investigated an incident at the bus station
Accident
Unusual appearance or effect.
Incident
Falling or striking on something
Accident
A mishap; especially one causing injury or death
Incident
(sometimes followed by `to') minor or casual or subordinate in significance or nature or occurring as a chance concomitant or consequence;
Incidental expenses
The road will bring other incidental advantages
Extra duties incidental to the job
Labor problems incidental to a rapid expansion
Confusion incidental to a quick change
Accident
Anything that happens by chance without an apparent cause
What is Accident?
Accident can be described to be any mishap that occurs due to the error of one party and can cause harm to either the mishap creator or both the miscreant and the effected bodies involved. These unfortunate events can also lead to the loss of life, or goods and kind. There can be various kinds of accidents where a human cannot always be held responsible. For example, a car hit by a truck is an accident caused by human activity but a machine failing in the factory and workers losing their lives is an accident caused by a non-living object. Both of the cases are variations of an accident itself.
What is Incident?
Incident can be described to be anything that happens, be it positive or negative. Any event that occurs and has a significance for even a moment, it is an incident. It can also be of various kinds, with the cause of incident varying widely, right from human activities to the cosmic effects. But be it any case, the event is considered to be an incident. The incident can be either intentional or unintentional. For example, if two people are shouting and fighting with each other and end up getting arrested, their arrest is an incident which is intentional as both the parties decided to fight and end up there. But if a man slips on a banana peel, it is also an incident which is completely unintentional.
