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

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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
Messi’s incidental presence became melancholy rather than mystical. — Sam Knight, New Yorker, 20 July 2026 Monique Akoa Makani took an incidental elbow from Griner to the face in the opening seconds and went to the locker room briefly. — ABC News, 18 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
  • These brands sought deep operational integration and audience engagement, contrasting with non-sponsors who gained accidental publicity from FIFA's strict clean-stadium rules.
    — Lilian Raji, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
  • The accidental discharge by the officer will be reviewed internally, the New London Police Department said.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 26 July 2026
Definition of accidental
Adjective
  • In the Kyiv region, five people were wounded in the Brovary district, including a minor and two women, acting regional administration head Ruslan Oliinyk said on Facebook.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 July 2026
  • Anthony Joseph Ramon, 25, of Gilroy, was first arrested on July 9 and charged with committing lewd and lascivious acts on a minor, according to the Morgan Hill Police Department.
    — Jason Green, Mercury News, 30 July 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
  • Choose one grounding task, one budget-friendly move, and one small boundary.
    — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 July 2026
  • If reliable payment flows depend on a small number of large miners or dedicated pools, Bitcoin payments could become faster and more commercial, but also more dependent on specific infrastructure providers.
    — Sean Lee, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
Definition of small
Noun
  • Adding spiller plants alongside the dramatic central thrillers and voluminous fillers creates a soft, cascading movement along the edges of your containers.
    — Gemma Johnstone, The Spruce, 22 July 2026
  • Calypso is a strawberry blond, green-eyed dime with lip filler and a case of Instagram face.
    — Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 22 July 2026
Definition of filler
Adjective
  • The county purchased a brand new playground in 2022, but that did little to draw in visitors, or at least not the kind the Park and Recreation Department was hoping for.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Society has had very little time to develop stable rules around it.
    — Gerui Wang, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of little
Noun
  • The plan to consolidate FIFA’s commercial and event operations into a new commercial subsidiary valued at $20 billion is off the table, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement.
    — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Miami Referendum 2 is asking Miami residents to allow the city to enter into a management agreement with Global Spectrum, a subsidiary of Oak View Group, one of the country’s largest operators of sports and entertainment venues.
    — Tess Riski July 31, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
Definition of subsidiary
Adjective
  • There were four outlandish, outcast characters, whom Goldberg utterly embodied with something as slight as the crossing of her eyes or the dragging of her leg.
    — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 25 July 2026
  • That total marks a slight increase in applications from the previous year, when the department reported receiving 52,529.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 25 July 2026
Definition of slight

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Cite this Entry

“Incidental.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incidental. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of incidental for Spanish Speakers

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