Dictionary

incidentally en · ADV

Pronunciation

• /ˌɪnsɪˈdɛntl̩i/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˌɪnsəˈdɛn(t)l̩i/ (General-American)

Etymology

Etymology tree English incidental Middle English -ly English -ly English incidentally From incidental + -ly.

Meanings

1. In an incidental manner. ▸ By happenstance; in a particular case which has little to no bearing on, and little to no causal relation to, any other case.
   • Near-synonyms: coincidentally, happenstantially, circumstantially, by chance, accidentally, semirandomly, randomly
2. In an incidental manner. ▸ Not of central or critical importance.
   • Nor, will the tragic dramatist who would depict mortal indomitableness in its fullest sweep and direct swing, ever forget a hint, incidentally so important in his art, as the one now alluded to. 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:
   • Not everybody welcomes standardisation as a principle, because it reduces variety (and, incidentally, tends to dispose of the quainter and more picturesque anomalies). 1951 April 14, D. S. Barrie, “British Railways: A Survey, 1948-1950”, in Railway Magazine, number 600, page 225:
   • The book discussed the subject, but only incidentally.
   • Near-synonym: in passing
3. (conjunctive, qualifier:speech act) In an incidental manner. ▸ Parenthetically, by the way.
   • Incidentally, did you hear anything new from your brother yesterday?

Forms

Antonyms

certainly · inevitably · essentially · systematically · systemically

Coordinates

anecdotally

Synonyms

coincidentally · circumstantially · happenstantially · semirandomly · by chance · randomly · in passing · accidentally

Translations (69)

ru кста́ти (by the way — see also by the way) · es incidentalmente (in an incidental manner) · de nebenbei (in an incidental manner) · pl na marginesie (by the way — see also by the way) · fi ohimennen (in an incidental manner) · pl nawiasem mówiąc (by the way — see also by the way) · tr lâf arasında (in an incidental manner) · cmn 偶然 (in an incidental manner) · fi muuten (by the way — see also by the way) · de apropos (by the way — see also by the way) · yi אַגבֿ (by the way — see also by the way) · fi sattumalta (without looking for something/somebody) · hu mellesleg (by the way — see also by the way) · ru ме́жду про́чим (by the way — see also by the way) · ko 우연히 (in an incidental manner) · nl toevalligerwijze (without looking for something/somebody) · pt acidentalmente (without looking for something/somebody) · tr bir ara (in an incidental manner) · fi sattua (by the way — see also by the way) · it incidentalmente (in an incidental manner) · sq kalimthi (without looking for something/somebody) · ru случа́йно (in an incidental manner) · uk між і́ншим (by the way — see also by the way) · pt incidentalmente (in an incidental manner) · gd eadar dà sgeul (in an incidental manner) · be выпадко́ва (in an incidental manner) · pt por acaso (without looking for something/somebody) · ro apropo (in an incidental manner) · ja 偶然 (in an incidental manner) · pl przy okazji (in an incidental manner) · hu véletlenül (without looking for something/somebody) · es casualmente (without looking for something/somebody) · tr bu arada (in an incidental manner) · hu érintőlegesen (in an incidental manner) · pt a propósito (by the way — see also by the way) · ar عَلَى فِكْرَة (by the way — see also by the way) · hu érintőleg (in an incidental manner) · de zufälligerweise (without looking for something/somebody) · hy իմիջիայլոց (in an incidental manner) · sv apropå (in an incidental manner) · pt aliás (by the way — see also by the way) · hu amúgy (by the way — see also by the way) · sq kalimthi (in an incidental manner) · pl notabene (by the way — see also by the way) · it casualmente (without looking for something/somebody) · uk випадко́во (in an incidental manner) · hu futólag (in an incidental manner) · hu egyébként (by the way — see also by the way) · fr incidemment (in an incidental manner) · it per inciso (by the way — see also by the way) · uk до ре́чі (by the way — see also by the way) · ja たまたま (in an incidental manner) · fi sivuten (in an incidental manner) · ar صُدْفَةً (in an incidental manner) · es por cierto (by the way — see also by the way) · es a propósito (by the way — see also by the way) · ga dála an scéil (by the way — see also by the way) · hu mellékesen (in an incidental manner) · bg случа́йно (in an incidental manner) · bg между́ дру́гото (by the way — see also by the way) · eo parenteze (by the way — see also by the way) · fi sattumoisin (without looking for something/somebody) · de nebenbei gesagt (by the way — see also by the way) · sv i förbigående (in an incidental manner) · vi à này (by the way — see also by the way) · tr sırası gelmişken (in an incidental manner) · de im Übrigen (by the way — see also by the way) · de übrigens (by the way — see also by the way) · de zufällig (without looking for something/somebody)