incidental

American  

[in-si-den-tl] / ˌɪn sɪˈdɛn tl /

adjective

1. happening or likely to happen in an unplanned or subordinate conjunction with something else.

   Synonyms:

   contingent, fortuitous, chance, casual

   Antonyms:

   fundamental

2. incurred casually and in addition to the regular or main amount.

   incidental expenses.

3. likely to happen or naturally appertaining (usually followed byto ).

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noun

1. something incidental, as a circumstance.

2. incidentals, minor expenses.

incidental British  

/ ˌɪnsɪˈdɛntəl /

adjective

1. happening in connection with or resulting from something more important; casual or fortuitous

2. found in connection (with); related (to)

3. caused (by)

4. occasional or minor

   incidental expenses

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noun

1. (often plural) an incidental or minor expense, event, or action

Other Word Forms

• incidentalness
  noun
• nonincidental
  adjective
• unincidental
  adjective
• nonincidentally
  adverb
• unincidentally
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of incidental

First recorded in 1610–20; incident + -al ¹

Explanation

Incidental means secondary in time or importance. If you lose weight because you moved and must walk further to school, the weight loss was incidental to the move. When something is incidental, it is never the main thing. It's okay to include incidental details as they can add depth to your storytelling, but they are never crucial to the story. A company might pay your main expenses when you travel for business but will probably not reimburse you for the incidental ones. The music you hear between acts of a play is called incidental. It's not crucial to the action, but it makes the waiting easier.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

incidental

But what came out of that hardship—the self-reliance, the drive, the refusal to accept helplessness—wasn’t incidental to who they were.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

Adams offered two incidental new piano pieces and one for string quartet containing his characteristic rhythmic excitement and melodic eloquence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026

The idea was that "this family's life and their happiness is fully built on Max Cady's suffering. He's not an incidental, forgotten figure in their past," Antosca said.

From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026

The timing of all this is not incidental.

From Salon ● May 11, 2026

By prearranged agreement, the Burr party arrived first, just before 7:00 a.m., and began clearing away the incidental brush and rocks on the ledge.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

• accidental
• ancillary
• casual
• coincidental
• random
• secondary