Incidental
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /ɪnsɪˈdɛntəl/ · Part of speech adjective
Quick meaning: Incidental is an adjective meaning Loosely associated; of limited relevance except indirectly; only accidentally related.
Meaning
Loosely associated; of limited relevance except indirectly; only accidentally related.
More Meanings
- Existing tangentially, being a byproduct, a tangent, or a likely consequence.
- Occurring by chance.
- (physics, of radiation) Entering or approaching, prior to reflection (more frequently incident).
- Minor items, not further defined. Incidental expense.
- Something that is incidental.
Example Sentences
incidental evidence
She's costing us a lot in incidentals.
That character, though colorful, is incidental to the overall plot.
Injuries are incidental to contact sports: they're going to happen.
Word Forms
- incidentals
Synonyms for incidental
Depending on context, synonyms include accidental, contingent, serendipitous, concomitant, related, incident.
Antonyms for incidental
Common opposites include inevitable, necessary, impossible, intentional, basic.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include incident, secondary, peripheral, related, concomitant, accompanying.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.