incident 1 of 2

incident

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adjective

Synonym Chooser

How is the word incident distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of incident are circumstance, episode, event, and occurrence. While all these words mean "something that happens or takes place," incident suggests an occurrence of brief duration or secondary importance.

a minor wartime incident

When would circumstance be a good substitute for incident?

In some situations, the words circumstance and incident are roughly equivalent. However, circumstance implies a specific detail attending an action or event as part of its setting or background.

couldn't recall the exact circumstances

When can episode be used instead of incident?

The words episode and incident can be used in similar contexts, but episode stresses the distinctiveness or apartness of an incident.

a brief romantic episode in a life devoted to work

In what contexts can event take the place of incident?

While the synonyms event and incident are close in meaning, event usually implies an occurrence of some importance and frequently one having antecedent cause.

the events following the assassination

When might occurrence be a better fit than incident?

While in some cases nearly identical to incident, occurrence may apply to a happening without intent, volition, or plan.

an encounter that was a chance occurrence

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of incident
Noun
The Department of Energy’s order is effective through 10 a.m. on Christmas Day, and grid operators are to provide detailed reporting to the Energy Department and complete a post-incident special environmental analysis, a department spokesperson said in an email. Dallas News, 24 Dec. 2022 At Black Hat, the researchers argued that this strategy should also be applied to cyber-incident investigations. Kim Key, PCMAG, 11 Aug. 2022
Adjective
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Union County Prosecutor's Office Public Information Officer Lauren Farinas said that the suspect was detained after the incident for questioning, but released. Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2025 Livie Rose Henderson posted several videos on TikTok describing the incident on October 12, including one that appeared to show a customer lying on a couch, exposed from the waist down. Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for incident
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incident
Noun
  • The event orbited around a panel, moderated by TIME’s editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs, that discussed how AI could shape the future of fashion—particularly from a customer’s perspective.
    Tharin Pillay, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
  • In any event, that shows you who is pulling the strings over there.
    Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Jalapeño adds a welcome whisper of heat to this fruity riff on the classic oyster accompaniment.
    DERICK WADE, Saveur, 15 Oct. 2025
  • The video was just a great accompaniment.
    Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • In the accompanying film within the film, two former lovers, one of whom is also a filmmaker, rekindle their romance at a weekend wedding on Fårö.
    Erik Morse, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2025
  • An accompanying measure, Assembly Bill 836, would fund a study into the state of midwifery education in California.
    Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • And while handing Ole Miss its first loss of the year was reason to celebrate, things got pretty somber rather quickly for the Bulldogs after learning the injury status of one of their top playmakers.
    Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Oct. 2025
  • In addition, a stranger will come to town that will shake things up for Sharon and recontextualize both her past and her present.
    Alamin Yohannes, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • That makes dirty bulking—and its attendant buildup of fat—a less attractive option.
    Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 17 Oct. 2025
  • As the pandemic faded, the debt collection industry roared back, along with the attendant complaints.
    Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • And yet, that offers little to no comfort in the face of such catastrophic circumstances.
    Megan McCluskey, Time, 24 Oct. 2025
  • The cameras were back 18 years later in very different circumstances, as the disgraced former President set off to begin a five-year sentence at La Santé prison in Paris.
    Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Robbie dies in Episode 6, and in the episode’s final moments, Maeve is given the bag of Robbie’s money at her doorstep.
    Leia Mendoza, Variety, 20 Oct. 2025
  • The Diplomat season 4 doesn't have a release date yet, but according to Tudum, production on the new episodes begins fall 2025.
    Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • But concomitant with this were tensions around the concept of localism, an ethos with its roots in the conditions and convictions of the earliest settlers.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 18 Oct. 2025
  • The West persisted as a meaningful geopolitical concept and entity even after the collapse of the Soviet Union and its concomitant East.
    Stewart Patrick, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Incident.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incident. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.

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