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

The bill is slated for a hearing next month before the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy which, incidentally, Petrie-Norris chairs. —Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 1 Mar. 2026

That, incidentally, is not a spoiler. —Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 27 Feb. 2026

Grand Lake, incidentally, is the largest lake (natural body of water) in the state, as well as the deepest. —Logan Smith, CBS News, 22 Feb. 2026

A number of Native Americans have been detained by ICE across America, incidentally. —Bethy Squires, Vulture, 16 Feb. 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