Synonyms of casual

casual

adjective

ˈkazh-wəl 

1

as in informal

not designed to be worn only on special occasions

a restaurant where people in casual clothes are always welcome

Synonyms & Similar Words

• informal
• everyday
• relaxed
• workaday
• sporty
• sloppy
• slovenly
• dégagé
• shabby
• unkempt
• dressed down

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• formal
• dressy
• best
• elegant
• Sunday
• fashionable
• chic
• stylish
• noncasual
• smart
• neat
• tidy
• trim
• dressed up
• semiformal

2

as in accidental

happening by chance

a casual meeting with the next-door neighbors on a beach in Hawaii

Synonyms & Similar Words

• accidental
• unexpected
• chance
• incidental
• inadvertent
• unintentional
• unplanned
• unintended
• unwitting
• fortuitous
• odd
• unpremeditated
• random
• arbitrary
• haphazard
• coincidental
• aimless
• fluky
• desultory
• uncertain
• unforeseen
• unforeseeable
• unconscious
• involuntary
• freak
• forced
• unprompted
• coerced

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• deliberate
• intentional
• intended
• premeditated
• planned
• calculated
• certain
• predictable
• inevitable
• sure
• set
• foreseeable
• fixed
• premeditative
• expected
• destined
• conscious
• prescribed
• prepense
• voluntary
• predetermined
• foreseen
• volunteer
• willful
• knowing
• unforced
• preordained
• predestined
• foreordained
• freewill

3

as in nonchalant

having or showing a lack of interest or concern

only a casual examination of the bicycle before buying it

Synonyms & Similar Words

• nonchalant
• careless
• uninterested
• disinterested
• perfunctory
• detached
• indifferent
• insouciant
• unconcerned
• apathetic
• complacent
• stoic
• incurious
• calm
• uncurious
• cold
• aloof
• pococurante
• insensible
• halfhearted
• dispassionate
• numb
• unemotional
• remote
• tepid
• callous
• lukewarm
• cool
• insensitive
• mindless
• heedless
• phlegmatic
• unfeeling
• stolid
• listless
• lethargic
• impassive
• impervious
• hard-hearted
• unimpressed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• interested
• aware
• concerned
• conscientious
• attentive
• mindful
• sensitive
• warm
• passionate
• ardent
• zealous
• fervent
• heedful
• keen
• caring
• warmhearted

4

as in sporadic

lacking in steadiness or regularity of occurrence

a casual attendance at their son's hockey games

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sporadic
• occasional
• sudden
• intermittent
• irregular
• violent
• erratic
• unpredictable
• episodic
• discontinuous
• unsteady
• spastic
• fitful
• spasmodic
• catchy
• spotty
• aperiodic
• volatile
• choppy
• random
• haphazard
• aimless
• changing
• scattered
• interrupted
• varying
• changeful
• desultory
• odd
• arbitrary
• fragmentary
• disconnected
• uncertain
• convulsive
• broken
• stray
• slapdash
• unstable
• capricious
• unsettled
• variable
• mercurial
• hit-or-miss
• fluid
• inconstant
• hit-and-miss
• mutable
• changeable
• fluctuating
• fickle
• temperamental
• wavering
• flickery

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• regular
• continuous
• constant
• habitual
• periodic
• steady
• uniform
• stable
• stationary
• repeated
• even
• systematic
• unchanging
• methodical
• orderly
• equable
• changeless
• unvarying
• unrelenting
• unwavering
• unremitting

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective casual differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of casual are accidental, contingent, and fortuitous. While all these words mean "not amenable to planning or prediction," casual stresses lack of real or apparent premeditation or intent.

a casual encounter with a stranger

When might accidental be a better fit than casual?

The synonyms accidental and casual are sometimes interchangeable, but accidental stresses chance.

any resemblance to actual persons is entirely accidental

In what contexts can contingent take the place of casual?

While in some cases nearly identical to casual, contingent suggests possibility of happening but stresses uncertainty and dependence on other future events for existence or occurrence.

the contingent effects of the proposed law

When is it sensible to use fortuitous instead of casual?

Although the words fortuitous and casual have much in common, fortuitous so strongly suggests chance that it often connotes entire absence of cause.

a series of fortuitous events

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of casual

Rotating food trucks provide casual bites throughout the week. — Lisa Greissinger, Travel + Leisure, 7 Aug. 2026

Its fast 120-hertz refresh rate and 1ms response time eliminate motion blur and ghosting during study breaks or casual gaming, while Adaptive-Sync support ensures tear-free visuals. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 5 Aug. 2026

The viral reel that originated the chant features two women, who seem to be in their early 20s, dressed in casual streetwear, leading the chant while a man holds a poster depicting Modi as a little monkey. — Asim Ali, Time, 1 Aug. 2026

Ginni, a casual acquaintance, seemed an ideal candidate for the experiment. — Geoffrey O’Brien, The New York Review of Books, 1 Aug. 2026