incidental

noun

Minor items, not further defined. Incidental expense.

Something that is incidental.

adjective

Loosely associated; of limited relevance except indirectly; only accidentally related.

Existing tangentially, being a byproduct, a tangent, or a likely consequence.

Occurring by chance.

(physics, of radiation) Entering or approaching, prior to reflection (more frequently incident).

Roots

cadocid- · Latin · fall

Synonyms & related words for incidental

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of incidental — including accidental, nonessential, accompanying, inconsequential, adscititious, adventitious. 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 incidental

Explore words related to incidental — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include omissible, concomitant, incident, parenthetic, consequent, inadvertent, consequential, adventitiously. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for incidental

Common synonyms for incidental include accidental, nonessential, accompanying, inconsequential, adscititious, adventitious, inessential, fortuitous — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does incidental come from?

The word incidental 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.