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
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
Zach Wichter, USA Today, 25 June 2025
Others tend to fall through the cracks, such as meals while on the road and other incidentals.
—Egor Karpovich, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
Marybeth Gasman, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Whether or not one individual happened to walk through the door and tap his toe is incidental.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incidental
Adjective
For delayed bags, airlines are required by the DOT to provide reasonable compensation to travelers for daily incidentals.
—Zach Wichter, USA Today, 25 June 2025
Others tend to fall through the cracks, such as meals while on the road and other incidentals.
—Egor Karpovich, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
Noun
The Three-Fifths Compromise (Article I, Section 2, Clause 3) of the Constitution is a stark reminder that slavery was foundational, not incidental.
—Marybeth Gasman, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Whether or not one individual happened to walk through the door and tap his toe is incidental.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incidental
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incidental
Adjective
-
Taylor Farms has recalled its Honey Balsamic Salad Kits in response to an accidental switch in the salad dressing.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
2 Sep. 2025
-
The safety lock prevents accidental deployment while the Flex Shears tool is in your pocket or bag.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Use them to freshen up during a layover or deal with a minor spill.—
Alesandra Dubin,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Aug. 2025
-
Tariffs, smelter delays, and fluctuating aluminum prices represent significant risks, and with shares already priced for cyclical uncertainty, even minor setbacks could maintain pressure on the stock.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Aalo expects to complete construction and reach criticality by July 4, 2026, a timeline the company says demonstrates the speed at which small, modular nuclear reactors can be deployed.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Aug. 2025
-
Snap up travel essentials, comfy pajamas, small kitchen must-haves, and more gems.—
Isabel Garcia,
People.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Influencers who follow trends such as facial and lip fillers can distort their natural facial proportions due to inappropriate filler choice, incorrect placement of the filler, or trying to lift the face too much.—
Rachael O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The affected vehicles are equipped with a left-side radiator/fan combination where excess fuel may spill into the vehicle fuel-filler pocket and leak onto an ignition source, according to the NHTSA.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Seattle did very little to silence those critics in Week 1.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
He was joined by little bro Jason, who's younger than him by 13 months.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The email included a link to an ad for energy-efficient home appliances sold by a subsidiary of Whirlpool in Brazil.—
Kyle Ingram,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Sep. 2025
-
According to La Nación, Scatturice—a former spy who became a millionaire in just a few years—has won at least 17 state contracts since Milei took office, totaling more than $90 million through his firm OCP Tech and other subsidiaries.—
Agustino Fontevecchia,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Barefoot driving is legal in all 50 states, with the one slight exception being Alabama where footwear is required on motorcycles.—
Georgea Kovanis,
The Courier-Journal,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Mail-in voting is now more popular among Democrats In the 2008 presidential election, there was only a slight difference in the popularity of mail-in voting by political party, according to a data analysis by Charles Stewart, director of the MIT Election Data and Science Lab.—
Carlie Procell,
USA Today,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
He was being paid over £150,000 a week, doubling which would have loaded £9million extra onto the St James’ Park wage bill.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Stripped of the security suite extras in Norton VPN Ultimate, Norton VPN Standard still has a ways to go in order to stand on its own against more feature-rich and privacy-focused competitors.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Incidental.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incidental. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share