Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Having a tendency or predisposition to experience accidents more frequently than average: Describes a person who is more likely to be involved in mishaps, minor injuries, or unfortunate incidents due to inherent clumsiness, carelessness, or other factors.

Usage and Examples

• Adjective:
  • Be careful with that equipment; he's a bit accident-prone. (This describes a person known for frequently having minor mishaps.)
  • The factory reassigned the accident-prone worker to a less hazardous station. (This indicates the worker had a history of being involved in workplace incidents.)
  • I'm so accident-prone that I trip over my own feet. (This is a self-description highlighting a personal tendency toward clumsiness.)

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• The term often implies a recurring pattern of behavior or a characteristic trait, rather than just a single unfortunate event.
• It can be used humorously or sympathetically to describe someone's clumsiness, but it may also be used in more serious contexts, like workplace safety assessments.
• "to be accident-prone": This is the most common construction, used to describe the state or characteristic.
  • Studies suggest that some people are genetically more accident-prone.

Variants and Related Words

• Clumsy (adj): Lacking coordination or grace; prone to knocking things over or tripping. (Focuses more on physical awkwardness.)
• Injury-prone (adj): Specifically susceptible to physical injuries, often used in sports contexts. (A more specific variant.)
• Unlucky (adj): Having or marked by bad luck. (Broader than , not necessarily implying a personal tendency.)

Synonyms

• Clumsy
• Bungling
• Hazardous (when describing the person's nature, e.g., "a hazardous driver")
• Injury-prone

Antonyms

• Graceful
• Deft
• Nimble
• Careful
• Safety-conscious

Related Phrases and Idioms

• A bull in a china shop: An idiom describing a very clumsy person in a delicate situation.
  • Send him to arrange the crystal? He's like a bull in a china shop!
• All thumbs: An idiom meaning very clumsy, especially with one's hands.
  • I'm all thumbs when it comes to threading a needle.

Adjective

1. having more than the average number of accidents