incidental

1 of 2

adjective

in·​ci·​den·​tal ˌin(t)-sə-ˈden-tᵊl How to pronounce incidental (audio)
1
a
: being likely to ensue as a chance or minor consequence
social obligations incidental to the job
2
: occurring merely by chance or without intention or calculation

incidental

2 of 2

noun

1
incidentals plural : minor items (as of expense) that are not particularized
2
: something that is incidental

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Incidental vs. Accidental

One sense of incidental is defined as "occurring merely by chance or without intention or calculation ," and one of the most common meanings of accidental in modern use is "occurring unexpectedly or by chance," so it is not surprising that the two words are sometimes confused. However, in almost all settings in which they will be found today, these words have distinct meanings. Incidental is most often used in the sense "being likely to ensue as a chance or minor consequence," or "minor" (as in "there were some incidental expenses that I paid myself").

Examples of incidental in a Sentence

Adjective You may incur some incidental expenses on the trip. an incidental part of the job He writes incidental music for plays.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The two military leaders are alleged to have directed attacks at civilian objects and caused excessive incidental harm to civilians or damage to civilian objects, both war crimes under the Rome Statue, the international treaty that founded the ICC. Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024 An item that is purchased online and returned in-store may generate incidental sales that won’t show up as e-commerce. Greg Petro, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 People can be exposed to coal ash through pollution in public waterways, private drinking water wells, and by incidental ingestion of coal ash used as structural fill. Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 20 Feb. 2024 Revenue generation should not be the goal and any revenue generated for the city should be considered incidental. Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Nov. 2023 But there are strong divisions over the Cabinet’s handling of the hostage crisis, amid growing concerns that the hostages are incidental to the government’s wider war aims. NBC News, 19 Feb. 2024 But those results were incidental to determine the winner in those days. Richard Sandomir, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2024 Wegman, Ring Concierge’s CEO, was skeptical of the idea that price had become incidental to the appeal of a diamond engagement ring. Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2024 The feats of virtuosity that are required to make this work are completely incidental to the effect of trying to sound like an orchestra and not like a piano. Joshua Barone, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2024
Noun
Willis paid for some of the trips with Wade, according to affidavit The DA's office also asserts that Willis and Wade alternated paying for their joint personal travel, with Willis paying for some trips — as well as meals and other incidentals. Daniel Klaidman, CBS News, 2 Feb. 2024 Half-day boat tickets — that don’t include the cost of incidentals — are $85 for adults and $70 for juniors and seniors. Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2024 Do King and Farnaby figure that such practicalities and incidentals would bore children? Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2023 Rolling Hills Estates spokesperson Alexa Davis said that after the city declared an emergency this summer, the city and county allocated a sum of $125,000 to help residents with temporary housing and small incidentals, such as groceries; however, all but $20,000 of that pot has been spent. Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 29 Nov. 2023 For example, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority credit card comes with an annual $75 flight credit, while the Platinum Card from American Express offers a yearly $200 credit that covers incidentals charged by an airline, like baggage or seat selection fees. Katie Seemann, Travel + Leisure, 22 Oct. 2023 The $4,000 can be used by the winner to cover their travel costs, and any incidentals along the way. Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 22 Sep. 2023 The reasons for the move are simple: a lower cost of living, from homes and groceries to gas and incidentals, plus expanding industries, specifically in tech. Allie Beth Allman & Associates, Dallas News, 8 Aug. 2023 Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks Our rating: Partly false The House implemented a new provision for members that allows them to be reimbursed for lodging, incidentals and meals during official business in Washington, D.C.. Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY, 12 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'incidental.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1644, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1707, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of incidental was in 1644

Dictionary Entries Near incidental

Cite this Entry

“Incidental.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incidental. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

incidental

1 of 2 adjective
in·​ci·​den·​tal ˌin(t)-sə-ˈdent-ᵊl How to pronounce incidental (audio)
1
: happening by chance
2
: of minor importance

incidental

2 of 2 noun
: something that is incidental

Legal Definition

incidental

adjective
in·​ci·​den·​tal ˌin-sə-ˈdent-ᵊl How to pronounce incidental (audio)
1
: subordinate or secondary in importance or position
incidental benefits
2
3
: occurring by chance or in isolation
incidental use of a person's image
incidentally adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on incidental

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