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incidental 1 of 2

adjective

ˌin(t)-sə-ˈden-tᵊl How to pronounce incidental (audio)
Definition of incidentalnext
1
as in accidental
happening by chance an incidental meeting of two ships in the middle of the Atlantic

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in minor
lacking importance we still have to work out a few incidental details, but the proposal is largely complete

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

incidental

2 of 2

noun

as in nonessential

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 incidental
Adjective
The atmosphere isn’t incidental to the tournament’s identity. — Douglas Robson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026 Feelings of guilt, inadequacy, and anxiety after viewing triggering content are not incidental side effects. — Jessica Scheer, STAT, 2 Sep. 2026
Noun
And that’s on top of costly airfare, lodging, match tickets, and other incidentals required to attend the games. — Bailey Berg, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Apr. 2026 Officials ruled the hit incidental, though Olszewski left the game and didn’t return with a head injury. — Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 4 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for incidental
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incidental
  1. accidental
  2. minor
  3. nonessential
  4. small
  5. filler
  6. little
  7. subsidiary
  8. slight
Adjective
  • It’s ruled an accidental death, but Neagley feels something is off.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Officials said the cause of the fire appeared to be accidental, but remained under investigation early Monday.
    — Dylan Olsen, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of accidental
Adjective
  • But there’s no reason for alarm; none of the pitchers drafted by the Marlins in July were used in a minor-league game.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The front camera uses a 135-degree field of view, which introduces minor edge distortion, but that's the price for capturing a broad swath of the road ahead.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of minor
Noun
  • Anything deemed nonessential would be put on hold, so Americans could experience delays with certain services and hundreds of thousands of federal workers will go without pay.
    — Caitlyn Kim, NPR, 30 Sep. 2025
Definition of nonessential
Adjective
  • Book the white, cream, and silver Diaghilev suite, which has double doors that open onto a small balcony with the bay of Positano at your feet.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Instead, excess testosterone is converted into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which causes the hair follicles to become smaller and then the hair strands to become thinner.
    — Lindsey Bever, Washington Post, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of small
Noun
  • Choosing Flowers and Foliage Round arrangements typically consist of line flowers, form flowers, mass flowers, filler flowers, as well as line foliage, filler foliage, and mass foliage.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 19 Sep. 2026
  • At the 2018 Oscars, Bullock’s physical appearance sparked rumors of facial fillers.
    — StyleCaster Editors, StyleCaster, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of filler
Adjective
  • Check-in and check-out are swift, valet has relatively little wait time, and the restaurant staff is accustomed to serving meals around performances at the Merrill Theater across the street.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Sep. 2026
  • That might be a big casserole of stuffing, a batch of chocolate chip cookies, or any situation in which adding too little salt would be a hard deficit to overcome later on.
    — Chris Morocco, Bon Appetit Magazine, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of little
Noun
  • Compressing a chain of holding structures into just one entity, the project involves merging the Arnault family holding company Agache with its operational investment subsidiary Financière Agache.
    — Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2026
  • For example, Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet, offers skills programs that support employment, career advancement, and business creation.
    — Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of subsidiary
Adjective
  • Concerns about this recent deceleration aside, a slight quarter-to-quarter boost is obviously preferable to the bundle’s comparable loss of 953,000 customers between the first and second quarters of this year.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • There’s only a slight chance for thunderstorms over the weekend and the sun icon, missing for days and days, now shines on its main webpage.
    — Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of slight

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incident
incidental
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Cite this Entry

“Incidental.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incidental. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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