incident
IN-sih-duhnt
/ˈɪn.sɪ.dənt/
An event or occurrence, especially one that is unusual, important, or violent.
In a safety context, 'incident' is often used as a neutral term for an accident or a 'near-miss'.
The story behind the word. From the Latin 'in' (upon) and 'cadere' (to fall). An incident is something that 'falls upon' you unexpectedly.
Word relationships
- occurrence: Occurrence is very neutral; incident often suggests something that might cause trouble.
Commonly confused with
- accident: An accident implies harm was done; an incident is any event (even if no one was hurt).
Word family
- incidental (adjective): Happening as a minor accompaniment to something else.
- incidentally (adverb): By the way.
Collocations
- isolated incident
- security incident
- report an incident
- without incident
Example sentences
- "The security incident was reported to the IT department at midnight when the server went offline." Security
- "Every minor incident must be recorded in the logbook to help prevent more serious accidents in the future." Workplace Safety
Memory hook
An IN-cident is something that happens IN-side the normal day. Falling upon you.
When not to use
Don't use 'incident' for a planned event like a party; it almost always implies something unexpected or negative.
Fun facts
- In international relations, a 'diplomatic incident' can be something as small as a misunderstood comment that leads to a major argument between countries.
Related words
Explore more words
outcome, infrequent, occasional, chronicle, take place, outbreak
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