casual

[ kazh-oo-uhl ]

/ ˈkæʒ u əl /

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See synonyms for: casual / casuals / casually / casualness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

happening by chance; fortuitous: a casual meeting.

without definite or serious intention; careless or offhand; passing: a casual remark.

seeming or tending to be indifferent to what is happening; apathetic; unconcerned: a casual, nonchalant air.

without emotional intimacy or commitment: casual sex.

appropriate for wear or use on informal occasions; not dressy: casual clothes; casual wear.

irregular; occasional: a casual visitor.

accidental: a casual mishap.

noting or relating to activities that do not require much skill or time commitment: casual gamers.Compare hard-core (def. 6).

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR casual

1 unexpected, incidental, unforeseen.

6 unpredictable.

See synonyms for casual on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR casual

1 planned.

See antonyms for casual on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of casual

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Latin cāsuālis, equivalent to cāsus case¹ + -ālis -al¹; replacing Middle English casuel, from Middle French, from Latin as above

synonym study for casual

1. See accidental.

OTHER WORDS FROM casual

cas·u·al·ly, adverbcas·u·al·ness, nouno·ver·cas·u·al, adjectiveo·ver·cas·u·al·ness, noun

ul·tra·cas·u·al, adjectiveul·tra·cas·u·al·ness, nounun·cas·u·al, adjectiveun·cas·u·al·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use casual in a sentence

This has included placing emphasis on casual loungewear as Americans began to work from home, as well as navigate planned seasonal campaigns.
‘Shopping patterns will feel longer and flatter’: Gap’s CMO on preparing for holiday campaigns|Gabriela Barkho|October 23, 2020|Digiday
What we’re seeing is casual fans are having a hard time putting other things aside.
TV networks face loss of affiliate revenue in shift to streaming|Tim Peterson|October 21, 2020|Digiday
Colorado-based Noodles & Co is offering an hour of paid time off, and mediterranean fast-casual restaurant Cava is providing two hours.
With High-Stakes Election Imminent, Some Restaurants Are Giving Time Off for Voting|Nick Mancall-Bitel|October 16, 2020|Eater
It’s been tough on formal clothes, such as suits, and for jeans, which despite being a casual staple aren’t known as the comfiest option to sit in for long periods.
Nobody wants to wear jeans when they’re working from home|Marc Bain|October 9, 2020|Quartz

Dominion occasionally bought meals from fast-casual restaurants like Chipotle for the group.
Inside the Utility Company Lobbying Blitz That Will Hike Electric Bills|by Patrick Wilson, Richmond Times-Dispatch|October 9, 2020|ProPublica
I did so under a mask of casualness that practice and my new-born hope had now made quite easy.
In Accordance with the Evidence|Oliver Onions
In the best bedroom he had talked of it—but even there with a certain self-consciousness and false casualness.
The Regent|E. Arnold Bennett
The same casualness that had served to put her at her ease at the Chteau de la Reine had the same effect now.
Find the Woman|Arthur Somers Roche
This was totally unlike anything on Earth, though it might have been in keeping with the general casualness of the villages.
Badge of Infamy|Lester del Rey
And when he did look, affecting great casualness in the action, she was gone, evidently having turned the corner.
Seventeen|Booth Tarkington

British Dictionary definitions for casual

casual

/ (ˈkæʒjʊəl) /

adjective

happening by accident or chancea casual meeting

offhand; not premeditateda casual remark

shallow or superficiala casual affair

being or seeming unconcerned or apathetiche assumed a casual attitude

(esp of dress) for informal weara casual coat

occasional or irregularcasual 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

Derived forms of casual

casually, adverbcasualness, noun

Word Origin for casual

C14: from Late Latin cāsuālis happening by chance, from Latin cāsus event, from cadere to fall; see case 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

casual

OTHER WORDS FOR casual

OPPOSITES FOR casual

Origin of casual

synonym study for casual

OTHER WORDS FROM casual

Words related to casual

How to use casual in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for casual

Derived forms of casual

Word Origin for casual