incidentally
adverb
in·ci·den·tal·ly
ˌin(t)-sə-ˈden-tᵊl-ē 
especially for sense 2 -ˈdent-lē
1
a
: in an incidental manner : not intentionally
… the arrant nonsense of some of his statements is incidentally hilarious.—
John Lahr
John Lahr
b
: as something that is less important
mentions the issue only incidentally
2
: by way of interjection or digression : by the way
… fortunate in having a good teacher … —still living, incidentally …—John Fischer
John FischerSynonyms of incidentally
Examples of incidentally in a Sentence
Not incidentally, the market slump was followed by widespread layoffs.
incidentally, have you seen the new building they're putting up?
Recent Examples on the Web
Placing Ben-Gvir in charge of the police and prison services was akin to appointing an arsonist to run the fire department—which, incidentally, also falls under his authority.
—Avi Issacharoff, The Atlantic, 22 May 2026
The wrinkle morphology that evolved to improve grip in wet conditions turns out to also function, incidentally, as an identity marker that only manifests under the environmental conditions that originally selected for it.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Whether the substance was tear gas — which, incidentally, is a powder, not a gas — or pepper spray is unclear.
—Assistant Editor, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026
In Arteta’s first season, 2019-20, Arsenal finished 43 points shy of title winners Liverpool (this, incidentally, was the club resetting after sacking Emery).
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 21 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for incidentally
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Avi Issacharoff, The Atlantic, 22 May 2026
The wrinkle morphology that evolved to improve grip in wet conditions turns out to also function, incidentally, as an identity marker that only manifests under the environmental conditions that originally selected for it.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Whether the substance was tear gas — which, incidentally, is a powder, not a gas — or pepper spray is unclear.
—Assistant Editor, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026
In Arteta’s first season, 2019-20, Arsenal finished 43 points shy of title winners Liverpool (this, incidentally, was the club resetting after sacking Emery).
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 21 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for incidentally
Cite this Entry
“Incidentally.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incidentally. Accessed 27 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
incidentally
adverb
in·ci·den·tal·ly
ˌin(t)-sə-ˈdent-ᵊl-ē
especially for sense 2 -ˈdent-lē
1
: in an incidental manner
discusses the problem only incidentally
2
: apart from that : by the way
a one-room school—still standing, incidentally—which was painted red
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