casual
Americanadjective
-
happening by chance; fortuitous.
a casual meeting.
- Synonyms:
- incidental, unexpected
- Antonyms:
- planned
-
without definite or serious intention; careless or offhand; passing.
a casual remark.
-
appropriate for wear or use on informal occasions; not dressy.
casual clothes; casual wear.
-
seeming or tending to be indifferent to what is happening; relaxed; nonchalant.
a casual, unconcerned air.
-
without emotional intimacy or commitment.
casual sex.
-
a casual visitor.
- Synonyms:
- unpredictable, unconcerned, indifferent, apathetic, unceremonious, informal
-
a casual mishap.
-
noting or relating to activities that do not require much skill or time commitment.
casual gamers.
-
Obsolete. uncertain.
noun
-
a worker employed only irregularly.
-
a soldier temporarily at a station or other place of duty, and usually en route to another station.
-
Usually casuals an article of clothing for casual wear.
-
a person who does something only occasionally.
Most of our customers are casuals.
-
Usually Disparaging. a person who plays video games that do not require much skill or time commitment.
adjective
-
happening by accident or chance
a casual meeting
-
offhand; not premeditated
a casual remark
-
shallow or superficial
a casual affair
-
being or seeming unconcerned or apathetic
he assumed a casual attitude
-
(esp of dress) for informal wear
a casual coat
-
occasional or irregular
casual visits
a casual labourer
-
biology another term for adventive
noun
-
(usually plural) an informal article of clothing or footwear
-
an occasional worker
-
biology another term for an adventive
-
(usually plural) a young man dressed in expensive casual clothes who goes to football matches in order to start fights
Related Words
See accidental.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of casual
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Latin cāsuālis, equivalent to cāsus case 1 + -ālis -al 1; replacing Middle English casuel, from Middle French, from Latin as above
Explanation
Something casual is ordinary or everyday — not too special, unusual, fancy, serious, or eventful. You might have a casual conversation with your classmates before homeroom, or attend a casual backyard barbecue. If you're going to your friend's house for a dinner of pizza and soda, you could describe the evening as a casual night at home. Formal attire might mean tuxedos and evening gowns, but casual clothing is the kind of clothing you wear every day, for ordinary activities. If you treat a person or a subject in a casual way, you're not paying close attention or treating them as special. And you might remind your siblings to act casual on the day of your mom's surprise birthday party so that they don't ruin the surprise.
Vocabulary lists containing casual
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 1
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The ACT Reading Test: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 1
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List 8
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Casual bettors are taking bigger risks than they realize, in part because of a phenomenon called “long shot bias,” in which bettors, driven by excitement, overvalue unlikely events.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
Casual dining such as at the Texas Roadhouse and LongHorn Steakhouse chains have powered much of steak’s sales growth over the past two years, according to Technomic.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026
In addition to authoring cookbooks “Boards: Stylish Spreads for Casual Gatherings” and “Food Gifts: 150+ Irresistible Recipes for Crafting Personalized Presents,” she hosted “The Walk-In” podcast and worked as a food stylist.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026
Casual investors tend to focus on earnings and are often less familiar with free cash flow, which is ironic.
From Barron's • Dec. 26, 2025
Her hair was still done up Persian Casual, all curls and falls, though several locks had managed to escape their careful arrangement.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
