incidental | incidentally
Exam frequency
GRE
low
Banks
low
Civil Services
low
Meaning(s)
of less importance
How to Memorize
incidental - secondary
Analysis
Something ‘incidental’ happens or exists in connection with something else that is more important. In other words, it is likely to arise as a minor consequence of something larger. Less commonly, it can also be used to express something that occurs by chance rather than intentionally.
| Exams | Spoken | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Synonyms | peripheral,attendant,inconsequential | ||
| Antonyms | inherent,prerequisite |
Example(s)
Whether or not you meant to make the mistake is incidental. The fact is that it happened and now you must fix it.
The injured journalists were not targeted by the police. They were incidentally caught in the middle of their efforts to disperse protestors.
Don’t forget that on a business trip you don’t just charge the company for your flights and hotel, you can also charge them for incidentals like food and taxi fares.