1
as in accidental
happening by chance
an incidental meeting of two ships in the middle of the Atlantic
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in minor
lacking importance
we still have to work out a few incidental details, but the proposal is largely complete
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in nonessential
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of incidental
Sarah Berg, STAT, 26 Mar. 2026
American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases.
—Jason Stauffer, CNBC, 24 Mar. 2026
Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Oct. 2025
Unless expressly stated, transportation, ground transfers, meals, gratuities, incidentals, resort or facility fees, security deposits, and all other expenses are the sole responsibility of the winner.
—Vogue, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incidental
Adjective
Menstrual cyclicity is not incidental.
—Sarah Berg, STAT, 26 Mar. 2026
American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases.
—Jason Stauffer, CNBC, 24 Mar. 2026
Noun
As any Spinal Tap fan can attest, the choice of location for the band's swan song is far from incidental.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Oct. 2025
Unless expressly stated, transportation, ground transfers, meals, gratuities, incidentals, resort or facility fees, security deposits, and all other expenses are the sole responsibility of the winner.
—Vogue, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incidental
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incidental
Adjective
-
The latest data leak is potentially more damaging to Anthropic than the earlier accidental exposure of the company’s draft blog post about its forthcoming model.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Each accidental catch potentially removes an animal that was alive before the Industrial Revolution.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Meanwhile, at home, small appliances might break down or a minor breakage could occur.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The restaurant became a minor sensation—the titular dish is terrific, silken and subtle and rich, but what most stood out was a rotating lineup of specials, mostly hawker-style Malaysian fare, particularly the food of Klang, his parents’ home town, on Malaysia’s western coast.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Anything deemed nonessential would be put on hold, so Americans could experience delays with certain services and hundreds of thousands of federal workers will go without pay.—
Caitlyn Kim,
NPR,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The cab’s dark interior seems to lure Rauschenberg in, but perhaps he was also drawn to the small round window, like a porthole, above the seat, which looks out at the distance behind the carriage.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Consider reshuffling your to-do list, because a small shift could save money and protect your energy.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Instead, glass is melted down into lower-value products like bottles or insulation, or even used as filler in construction.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Not every entry in an artist’s catalog has to be a revelation; perhaps Ricochet’s pleasant filler is a necessary step in the evolution of Jordan’s artistry and the trajectory of Snail Mail as a band.—
Grace Robins-Somerville,
Pitchfork,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But with Spokane creating little offensively, Andema laid the ball off along his own end line to defender Moussa Ndiaye to start a chaotic sequence that ended with the ball in the back of Boise’s net.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
5 Apr. 2026
-
In the ’90s, the peninsula was taken over by a string of summer-only nightclubs, with little regard for the natural surroundings or the ancient cemetery buried in the pine forest.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The hires come seven months after the subsidiary was launched with Baby Reindeer producer Ed Macdonald at the helm.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
1 Apr. 2026
-
In turn, Gorrin helped Rivera land his $50-million contract with Venezuela’s oil subsidiary, PDV USA, known as CITGO.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
UConn came into the game as a slight underdog despite having beaten the Illini by 13 points at Madison Square Garden back in November.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Black One and Monoliths & Dimensions maintain a slight distance from the listener with a layer of reverb that softens the bone-crushing power of the guitars.—
Daniel Bromfield,
Pitchfork,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incidental.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incidental. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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