incidental

1 of 2

adjective

in·ci·den·tal ˌin(t)-sə-ˈden-tᵊl

Synonyms of incidental next

: being likely to ensue as a chance or minor consequence

social obligations incidental to the job

: minor sense 1

: occurring merely by chance or without intention or calculation

incidental

2 of 2

noun

incidentals plural : minor items (as of expense) that are not particularized

: something that is incidental

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Incidental vs. Accidental

One sense of incidental is defined as "occurring merely by chance or without intention or calculation ," and one of the most common meanings of accidental in modern use is "occurring unexpectedly or by chance," so it is not surprising that the two words are sometimes confused. However, in almost all settings in which they will be found today, these words have distinct meanings. Incidental is most often used in the sense "being likely to ensue as a chance or minor consequence," or "minor" (as in "there were some incidental expenses that I paid myself").

Example Sentences

Adjective You may incur some incidental expenses on the trip. an incidental part of the job He writes incidental music for plays.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

In most, the substance of work was incidental; the narrators glossed over spreadsheets, deadlines and check-ins to such an extent that many saw the videos as evidence of just how spoiled and indolent the young professional class had become. —

Lora Kelley, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2023 The aging Marx’s interest in California was certainly not incidental. —

Luke Savage, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Feb. 2023 In 1973, in the throes of the Cold War, the notion that nations and ideologies would be incidental might have seemed like the stuff of pulpy sci-fi. —

John Semley, WIRED, 16 Feb. 2023 Another part of that growth was incidental, as prices of everything increased. —

Eric Fuller, Forbes, 25 Jan. 2023 No information was available on exactly how many of these hospital stays were primarily caused by the virus and how many were simply incidental to another reason for admission such as elective surgery. —

Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Dec. 2022 Podcasting itself is incidental to these enterprises; the hosts could just as easily move their businesses to other media. —

Vulture, 22 Sep. 2022 The American College of Medical Toxicology released an official statement shortly after that story, declaring the risk of toxicity from incidental exposure to be virtually nonexistent. —

Natalie Shure, The New Republic, 1 Aug. 2022 The scientific controversy over social priming - the (claimed) ability of incidental exposure to stimuli to 'prime' or evoke complex behaviors - has been rumbling for the past few years. —

Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 30 July 2015

Noun

The various forms of content disorientingly overlap—the professional with the amateur, the intentional with the incidental. —

Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2022 Additional perks: In the event of a travel delay, the CSP offers $500-a-day coverage for hotels, meals, and incidentals. —

Emily Long, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Feb. 2020 The exact cost of the trip for the Secret Service is unclear, since the DHS IG could not calculate how much was spent on meals and incidentals and did not say how many Secret Service employees accompanied the president. —

Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2020 This total doesn’t include most meals, in-city transportation or incidentals (such as college sweatshirts). —

cleveland, 23 Feb. 2020 This total doesn’t include most meals, in-city transportation or incidentals (such as college sweatshirts). —

Liz Weston, Dallas News, 8 Feb. 2020 This total doesn’t include most meals, in-city transportation or incidentals (such as college sweatshirts). —

cleveland, 23 Feb. 2020 Additional perks: The Gold card comes with a $100 annual credit toward incidentals on a single airline plus a $10-per-month credit on dining via GrubHub, Seamless, and a small selection of restaurants. —

Emily Long, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Feb. 2020 This total doesn’t include most meals, in-city transportation or incidentals (such as college sweatshirts). —

cleveland, 23 Feb. 2020 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'incidental.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.