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 game was classified a sellout, incidentally, because this year Charlotte FC is selling only the lower bowl for soccer. —Scott Fowler march 8, Charlotte Observer, 8 Mar. 2026

Still, Congress taking a vote is important as a matter of symbolism and, not incidentally, politics. —Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 5 Mar. 2026

This quote, incidentally, is immortalized on the House’s website, if any members of Congress are looking for it. —Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 4 Mar. 2026

Almost incidentally, the reader comes to realize that Klara’s every thought and action convey her non-humanity, leaving the reader wishing humans could be as thoughtful and good as Klara. —The Know, Denver Post, 3 Mar. 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