All is in the title. I don't understand the differences between those words. I would say that in increasing value it gives :
Incident < accident < mishap < harm
But is that right?
All is in the title. I don't understand the differences between those words. I would say that in increasing value it gives :
Incident < accident < mishap < harm
But is that right?
Incident = something that happens, good or bad.
Accident = something, usually bad, that happens without anyone intending it to.
Mishap = minor unfortunate incident.
Incident = Something bad happened. UK police nowadays uses "incident" instead of "accident" to signify that the event should have been avoided. Like crashing your car while driving drunk or speeding would be called an "incident", not an "accident".
Accident = Something bad happened because someone didn't watch out, no intention.
Mishap = Similar to accident, but usually with more harmless consequences or no harm at all. "He stumbled and almost fell" - a mishap, but without any harm at all.
Harm = Damage happened. This may be completely intentional, and even positive. Like the police's strong presence in the streets harmed the drug dealers' business. So "harm" doesn't fall into any order relative to the other three terms.