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
- casually adverb
- casualness noun
- overcasual adjective
- overcasualness noun
- ultracasual adjective
- ultracasualness noun
- uncasual adjective
- uncasualness noun
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
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.
Ashlee Simpson, it was clear, intended to lip sync, which sort of implied to casual observers that she couldn’t sing.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026
Duke was the heavy favorite to win not only Sunday night but the entire tournament, and casual sports bettors tend to pick the favorite.
From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026
Subject lines include “Recognizing the need for fasting,” “Mice blood age affects Alzheimer’s brain changes,” and “A casual hypothesis about epigenetics.”
From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026
The merger’s origins lie in a casual catch-up between two college friends: Jonathan Toretta, a veteran energy banker now at TAE, and Kevin McGurn, a Trump Media adviser and CEO of Yorkville Acquisition.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026
I tried to sound casual, but apparently I’d never actually sounded casual in my life, because Grandma’s face broke into a knowing smile.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
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.
