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
Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2026
The experts agree that, unless provoked, most of the damage that Godzilla would cause would be incidental.
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Vogue, 13 Oct. 2025
That’s nearly $500,000 in revenue per home game just on incidentals.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incidental
Adjective
In this case, the NHL ruled that the contact was incidental.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2026
The experts agree that, unless provoked, most of the damage that Godzilla would cause would be incidental.
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Noun
Unless expressly stated, transportation, ground transfers, meals, gratuities, incidentals, resort or facility fees, security deposits, and all other expenses are the sole responsibility of the winner.
—Vogue, 13 Oct. 2025
That’s nearly $500,000 in revenue per home game just on incidentals.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incidental
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incidental
Adjective
-
Baker said Wednesday the bill’s life sentence provision would not include cases where a reckless or drunken driver caused the accidental death of an officer.—
Marta Zherukha,
Miami Herald,
11 Mar. 2026
-
However, prosecutors say Lee’s questions did not accurately describe the bloody scene or his girlfriend’s body, which showed multiple injuries and blunt force trauma that could not be explained by an accidental fall and instead indicated a violent struggle.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The woman had minor injuries and was treated at the scene, police said.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Leigh Wambsganss, the Republican candidate and a Mercy Culture ally, had become a minor MAGA celebrity, owing to her role in facilitating a far-right takeover of the area’s school boards.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 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
-
Modern warfare has shown that traditional radar systems often struggle to identify and monitor many small drones flying together.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Adjust a subscription or renegotiate a small fee, then record the change, because tracking progress reinforces confidence and protects your careful planning.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Kylie was dramatically overlining her lips and eventually admitted to getting temporary lip fillers, but that did nothing to stop her fans from clamoring to get any tips on how to make their lips look exactly like hers.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
11 Mar. 2026
-
So the hyaluronic acid fillers directly provide more volume, and then the biostimulatory fillers help boost collagen.—
Iyana Robertson,
Flow Space,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The Boston bats made little noise all night in North Port.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
15 Mar. 2026
-
But even this caricature is more than what’s afforded to Zoe (Iris Apatow) and her Deaf sister Chloe (Millicent Simmonds), whose collective function is the former interpreting for the latter in American Sign Language, but little else.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Public Utility Regulatory Authority issued a final decision Wednesday which gives Yankee Gas less than half of a $209 million rate increase the Eversource subsidiary sought approval for more than a year ago.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
11 Mar. 2026
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Ticketmaster, a subsidiary of Live Nation, is also required to offer its technology to other ticket sellers, such as StubHub, to reach customers.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Also, God forbid, but the examining team might need to unstitch a section of the dress, and there was just the slightest chance that it wouldn’t be put back exactly as it had been received.—
Han Ong,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Yet by the end of Saturday night, there were slight glimmers of optimism for a team that hasn’t had much to cheer for this season.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incidental.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incidental. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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