causal

American  

[kaw-zuhl] / ˈkɔ zəl /

adjective

1. of, constituting, or implying a cause.

2. Grammar. expressing a cause, as the conjunctions because and since.

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causal British  

/ ˈkɔːzəl /

adjective

1. acting as or being a cause

2. stating, involving, or implying a cause

   the causal part of the argument

3. philosophy (of a theory) explaining a phenomenon or analysing a concept in terms of some causal relation

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• uncausal
  adjective
• noncausally
  adverb
• noncausal
  adjective
• causally
  adverb
• supercausal
  adjective

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.

Example Sentences

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

Using World Cancer Research Fund evidence grading criteria, the researchers concluded that the evidence points to a probable causal relationship between higher intake of legumes and soy foods and a lower risk of hypertension.

From Science Daily • May 26, 2026

In contrast, economist Christine Mulhern’s 2023 paper finds that individual high-school counselors have causal effects on educational attainment comparable in magnitude to teachers.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

Supporters of Thomas defended the remarks as part of a broader critique of government overreach, suggesting he was drawing philosophical parallels rather than asserting a direct causal relationship.

From Salon • Apr. 18, 2026

Sometimes correlated quantities are causally related, but other “confounding” factors complicate and obscure the causal relations.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

Related Words

• creative
• imaginative
• innovative
• inventive
• seminal
• unconventional
• unusual