incidentally
Americanadverb
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apart or aside from the main subject of attention, discussion, etc.; by the way; parenthetically.
Incidentally, while you were waiting for the officer to run your registration through the system, did you notice if the post office was open?
-
in the course of something else, and not intentionally.
The bone fractures were discovered only incidentally, during an unrelated CT scan of her chest.
adverb
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as a subordinate or chance occurrence
-
(sentence modifier) by the way
Etymology
Origin of incidentally
First recorded in 1655–65; incidental + -ly
Explanation
Incidentally is a word you use when you've got more to say on a topic or want to transition into a new subject. Think of the word incidentally as a more formal way to say "by the way." Incidentally can also mean "by chance" if you want to remark on a coincidence. Sometimes, things just happen by chance, like you and your friend showing up at the same place incidentally. Incidentally, the word ends in lly so don't forget to throw that extra l in there!
Vocabulary lists containing incidentally
The Outsiders
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The Perks of Being a Wallflower
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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
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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.
Two months have since passed, and he’s still offered no explanation for his appearance, which incidentally only affirms suspicions.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
Tapp, incidentally, was super loyal to Sir Keir until the last.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
All of which, incidentally, is yet another argument to prefer inflation-protected bonds over regular ones, although the latest news suggests longer-term versions of such bonds may also come under pressure.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
“Could a cruise member have been cleaning up an area and incidentally aerosolized some rodent droppings?” said Dr. Elizabeth Hudson, regional physician chief of infectious diseases at Kaiser Permanente Southern California.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2026
A wealth of combed and clipped mustache gave him the appearance and attitude of a French rake of the nineteenth century, and incidentally concealed his crooked front teeth.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
