adjective
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acting as or being a cause
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stating, involving, or implying a cause
the causal part of the argument
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philosophy (of a theory) explaining a phenomenon or analysing a concept in terms of some causal relation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of causal
1520–30; < Latin causālis, equivalent to caus ( a ) cause + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
Have you ever heard the saying "One thing leads to another"? When one thing is known for certain to cause another thing, then the first thing can be called causal. Causal is a variation of the word cause, which should be a clue to its meaning. A cause is what makes something happen: the notebook flew across the room because you threw it, so your throwing it was causal. If a bolt of lightning set a statue on fire, the lightning was causal for the fire. Sometimes, we don't know what caused something, so we don't know what was causal. But if you can figure out "Who did it?" or "What did it?," then you've found what's causal.
Vocabulary lists containing causal
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I've Been to the Mountaintop" (1968)
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Society and Solitude
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We Are the Ants
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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.
However, a written judgement approved by Employment Judge Dawn Shotter concluded "there was no causal connection between his disability and the gross misconduct Mr McGinty was accused of".
From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026
His claims are not backed by evidence, as research has not found a clear causal link between antidepressants and violence, for example.
From Salon • Apr. 21, 2026
We must confront the causal factors of antisemitism honestly and address antisemitism where it is most common and most virulent.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026
However, after deeper analysis, only tyrosine showed a consistent and potentially causal relationship with reduced life expectancy in men.
From Science Daily • Feb. 26, 2026
If you want to see the effects of a putative causal variable, manipulate that variable alone while holding everything else constant.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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.
