incident

noun

(countable, uncountable) An event or occurrence.

A (relatively minor) event that is incidental to, or related to others.

An event that causes or may cause an interruption or a crisis, such as a workplace illness or a software error.

(often used in apposition) An event affecting an aircraft, usually a plane crash.

adjective

Coming or happening accidentally; not in the usual course of things; not in connection with the main design; not according to expectation; casual; fortuitous.

Liable to happen; apt to occur; befalling; hence, naturally happening or appertaining.

Arising as the result of an event, inherent.

(physics, of a stream of particles or radiation) Falling on or striking a surface.

(law) Dependent upon, or appertaining to, another thing, called the principal.

(mathematics) In a relation of incidence

Roots

cadocid- · Latin · fall

Synonyms for incident

occurrencen eventn fracasn happeningn affairn peripeteian disturbancen catastrophen happenstancen skirmishn

Synonyms & related words for incident

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of incident — including occurrence, event, fracas, happening, affair, peripeteia. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to incident

Explore words related to incident — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include mishap, accident, incidental, contretemps, happened, altercation, incidences, misadventure. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for incident

Common synonyms for incident include occurrence, event, fracas, happening, affair, peripeteia, disturbance, catastrophe — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does incident come from?

The word incident breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root cid-, from Latin cado (“fall”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.