Incidental is most often used in the sense "being likely to ensue as a chance or minor consequence," or "minor" (as in "there were some incidental expenses that I paid myself").

INCIDENTAL definition: happening or likely to happen in an unplanned or subordinate conjunction with something else. See examples of incidental used in a sentence.

INCIDENTAL definition: 1. less important than the thing something is connected with or part of: 2. directly connected…. Learn more.

Occurring or likely to occur as an unpredictable or minor consequence: "the principle that even annoying, intrusive, and offensive speech is to be protected by the courts and tolerated by the public …

Definition of incidental adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. incidental (to something) happening in connection with something else, but not as important as it, or not intended. …

Definition of incidental. English dictionary and integrated thesaurus for learners, writers, teachers, and students with advanced, intermediate, and beginner levels.

If one thing is incidental to another, it is less important than the other thing or is not a major part of it.

Incidental definition: Occurring or likely to occur as an unpredictable or minor consequence.

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025 in•ci•den•tal /ˌɪnsɪˈdɛntəl/ adj. likely to happen in an unplanned manner: Incidental expenses were paid for by his …

Incidental means secondary in time or importance. If you lose weight because you moved and must walk further to school, the weight loss was incidental to the move.