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

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

Synonyms of incidentally

• in passing
• by the way
• by the by

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

There are also private cabanas featuring their own plunge pools that can be booked via your own personal butler, which, incidentally, is a service available to all guests. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 July 2026

The first Cotoletta, on Grand Avenue in Coconut Grove, was an immediate hit and still draws lines of diners eager to try the restaurant’s veal Milanese (which not incidentally is the only entree on the menu). — Connie Ogle july 9, Miami Herald, 9 July 2026

In that procedure, surgeons had incidentally come upon another worm, which was 18 cm (7 inches). — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 9 July 2026

UConn president Radenka Maric, incidentally, comes from Derventa, Bosnia and Herzegovina, about 135 miles from Vrbas. — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 9 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1665, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for incidentally

• accidentally
• detrimentally
• fundamentally
• governmentally
• incrementally
• instrumentally
• sentimentally
• temperamentally
• coincidentally
• environmentally
• experimentally
• mentally

Kids 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