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
as in nonessential
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of incidental
Brandon Downs, CBS News, 4 May 2026
Outside of incidental contact with shed hairs, carpet beetles will not bite or interact at all with humans.
—Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 1 May 2026
Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 4 Dec. 2025
As any Spinal Tap fan can attest, the choice of location for the band's swan song is far from incidental.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incidental
Adjective
That includes temporary lodging, shower access, drinking water delivery service, and meal and incidental expenses reimbursement.
—Brandon Downs, CBS News, 4 May 2026
Outside of incidental contact with shed hairs, carpet beetles will not bite or interact at all with humans.
—Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 1 May 2026
Noun
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
As any Spinal Tap fan can attest, the choice of location for the band's swan song is far from incidental.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incidental
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incidental
Adjective
-
Acrasia wears a face crafted by history and time, but Phalene wears a face crafted by Acrasia, who is a significantly less accidental artist than history.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
-
Warranties typically exclude routine maintenance, wear and tear, and accidental damage.—
Charlotte Maracina,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
While minor, the crashes point to challenges in object recognition and spatial awareness, particularly in complex parking or tight urban environments.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
16 May 2026
-
The Porter County Election Board worked through some minor kinks with the county’s new voting equipment during the election certification at noon on Friday in the tabulation room of the Elections & Registration Office.—
Shelley Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
16 May 2026
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
Adjective
-
The hit was a small smudge on Bruins ace Taylor Tinsley’s line, finishing with two strikeouts and three hits across the five innings.—
Liana Handler,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2026
-
Four nations will be making their debut next month, including tiny Curaçao, the smallest by population ever to qualify.—
James Robson,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
Noun
-
Fill the cracks with concrete crack filler.—
Lee Wallender,
The Spruce,
18 May 2026
-
Lucia Clinic is a celebrity-favorite beauty destination known for injectables, filler, Botox, CoolSculpting and non-invasive anti-aging treatments.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
Rami feared the worst, but head coach Didier Deschamps reasoned that there was little to gain from laying down the law when the mood in the camp was so positive and elected to forgive him.—
Tom Williams,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement are alarmed by the speed of the rollbacks, noting that protections won through generations of sacrifice have been weakened in little more than a decade.—
Kim Chandler,
Chicago Tribune,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
SpaceLogistics, a Northrop Grumman subsidiary, is leading integration.—
Aditya Jadhav,
Interesting Engineering,
20 May 2026
-
Last year, Spain canceled a deal for anti-tank missile systems sold by an Israeli company’s subsidiary.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
Reading scores, meanwhile, continued to decline during that period, reaching their lowest point since 1990 in eighth graders and pre-2003 levels for fourth graders; only last year did some states start to see slight improvements.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
16 May 2026
-
Sunny skies and warm temperatures are expected in Laurel on Saturday, with highs near 83 degrees before a slight chance of showers moves in late Saturday night, according to the National Weather Service.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incidental.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incidental. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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