Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

incident

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of incident

1 something that happens

  • the odd little incident was reported in the local paper
Synonyms of incident

affair, circumstance, episode, event, hap, happening, occasion, occurrence, thing
Words Related to incident

coincidence, co-occurrence, fluke, freak

landmark, milepost, milestone, page, phenomenon, turning point

adventure, experience, time

happenchance, happenstance

accident, crisis, emergency, juncture

achievement, deed, exploit, feat

news, tidings

2 something that is found along with something else

  • a teen discovering that taxes are the inevitable and evil incident of a paying job
Synonyms of incident

accompaniment, attendant, companion, concomitant, corollary, obbligato
Words Related to incident

accessory (also accessary), adjunct, appendage

complement, supplement

counterpart, fellow, mate

consequence, follow-up

fixings, trimmings

Synonym Discussion of incident

occurrence, event, incident, episode, circumstance mean something that happens or takes place. occurrence may apply to a happening without intent, volition, or plan.
    • an encounter that was a chance occurrence
event usually implies an occurrence of some importance and frequently one having antecedent cause.
    • the events following the assassination
incident suggests an occurrence of brief duration or secondary importance.
    • a minor wartime incident
episode stresses the distinctiveness or apartness of an incident.
    • a brief romantic episode in a life devoted to work
circumstance implies a specific detail attending an action or event as part of its setting or background.
    • couldn't recall the exact circumstances

Learn More about incident

  1. See words that rhyme with incident Dictionary: Definition of incident Medical Dictionary: Definition of incident Spanish Central: Translation of incident Nglish: Translation of incident for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of incident for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up incident? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

memento

something that serves to warn or remind

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. gaslight It is a word, though.

  2. invasion CNN reporter questions President.

  3. relevancy Ariana Grande slams ex-fiancé.

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games