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 ).

---

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

---

noun

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

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of incidental

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

Example Sentences

They set aside money for souvenirs and some incidentals, but don’t factor in what might happen if that trip suddenly doubles in length—and prices for limited flights and hotel rooms skyrocket.

From The Wall Street Journal

The branching narratives, full of side quests and incidental characters, offer plenty of material to draw from, but deciding what to bring to the screen is a mammoth task.

From BBC

It is slightly different each time, in ways both meaningful and incidental.

From Los Angeles Times

The main finding: A longer daily walk seems to beat a lot of incidental steps—but there is no need to trek for hours on end.

From The Wall Street Journal

The chaos is not incidental; it’s the method.

From Salon

Related Words

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