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

Relevance

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
Kids appear to be the leading edge of this shift, not just incidental beneficiaries of it. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 24 July 2026 If that sounds serious, please know that any anthropological assessments of our collective psyche that come out of these conversations are purely incidental. — Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 21 July 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
  • Driscoll and others involved in the mission worried that something far less dramatic could derail it, such as an accidental weapon discharge, an isolated confrontation with a protester or a guardsman caught on camera behaving poorly.
    — Steven Beynon, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • In these spaces, the risk of accidental contact with poison ivy is much higher.
    — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of accidental
Adjective
  • Many higher education institutions have started offering classes focused on the burgeoning content creation industry over the past couple years, and several have certificate or minor programs.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • On Friday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported two identical incidents of drone strikes on tankers in Hormuz a day earlier, causing minor damage but no casualties.
    — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 14 Aug. 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
  • These vines will also happily wind their way around tree trunks and shrubs and fix themselves in place with small rootlets that take on a hairy appearance as poison ivy plants mature.
    — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Tidy a corner and play a favorite song, letting a small routine remind everyone that care comes through simple, repeatable acts.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of small
Noun
  • Common additives and fillers in saffron capsule supplements include rice powder, silica, stearic acid and acacia gum.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
  • United Russia, the country’s nominal ruling party, was never built to designate an heir; rather, it was meant to ensure that elections produced reliably pro-regime seat-fillers in institutions such as parliament.
    — Julian G. Waller, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of filler
Adjective
  • The opening of an Auberge Collection property in the little town of Los Olivos is further proof of the area's status as a preeminent New World wine destination.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Aug. 2026
  • So far, none of those efforts has been successful, and opponents say hunting would do little to address the most problematic bears that tend to live closer to residential neighborhoods.
    — John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of little
Noun
  • Ohio campus targets 10 GW SB Energy, SoftBank’s energy subsidiary, is developing the Ohio campus for OpenAI.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Uber on Thursday announced its Japanese subsidiary signed an agreement with a local taxi operator to manage daily fleet operations for a test deployment of robotaxis in Tokyo later this year.
    — Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of subsidiary
Adjective
  • Sale appeared to have a slight hitch in his leg before starting his motion when he was called for his third career balk.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026
  • And earlier this week, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for June showed a slight pickup in hiring and quits (an indicator of employee confidence) while layoffs were essentially unchanged.
    — Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of slight

Browse Nearby Words

incident
incidental
incidentally
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Incidental.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incidental. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on incidental

Nglish: Translation of incidental for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of zeugma

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All