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
Brandon Downs, CBS News, 4 May 2026
Outside of incidental contact with shed hairs, carpet beetles will not bite or interact at all with humans.
—Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 1 May 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
That includes temporary lodging, shower access, drinking water delivery service, and meal and incidental expenses reimbursement.
—Brandon Downs, CBS News, 4 May 2026
Outside of incidental contact with shed hairs, carpet beetles will not bite or interact at all with humans.
—Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 1 May 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 sturdy, durable case offers a water-resistant fabric, which is great for accidental coffee spills amid the airport security line.—
Sarah DiMuro,
PEOPLE,
14 May 2026
-
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office attributed his death to an accidental ketamine overdose and said drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine — used to treat opioid use disorder — were factors.—
Dennis Romero,
NBC news,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
While minor, the crashes point to challenges in object recognition and spatial awareness, particularly in complex parking or tight urban environments.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
16 May 2026
-
The Porter County Election Board worked through some minor kinks with the county’s new voting equipment during the election certification at noon on Friday in the tabulation room of the Elections & Registration Office.—
Shelley Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
16 May 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
-
Eggs, sushi, and crypto The account paid attention to smaller stories, too.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
16 May 2026
-
East is a boutique hotel, some condos, and a small residential neighborhood with a few local restaurants.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
Popular treatments in Thailand include Botox and dermal fillers, laser hair removal, skin tightening procedures such as Oligio, advanced facial and dermatology services and traditional spa and holistic therapies.—
Hanna Wickes,
Sacbee.com,
13 May 2026
-
There are no fillers, no preservatives, no frozen dough.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
Rami feared the worst, but head coach Didier Deschamps reasoned that there was little to gain from laying down the law when the mood in the camp was so positive and elected to forgive him.—
Tom Williams,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement are alarmed by the speed of the rollbacks, noting that protections won through generations of sacrifice have been weakened in little more than a decade.—
Kim Chandler,
Chicago Tribune,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
In 2016, Keel founded the subsidiary Diogenes Entertainment and has since been attached to numerous film and series productions as an executive producer.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
13 May 2026
-
Those John Does operate large-scale robocall and telemarketing campaigns that misuse trademarks for Capital One or its subsidiary Discover, according to the lawsuit.—
Stephanie Dhue,
CNBC,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
Reading scores, meanwhile, continued to decline during that period, reaching their lowest point since 1990 in eighth graders and pre-2003 levels for fourth graders; only last year did some states start to see slight improvements.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
16 May 2026
-
Sunny skies and warm temperatures are expected in Laurel on Saturday, with highs near 83 degrees before a slight chance of showers moves in late Saturday night, according to the National Weather Service.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incidental.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incidental. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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