Origin: Latin suffix -al
Incidental has 7 different meanings across 2 categories:
(frequently plural) an expense not budgeted or not specified
"he requested reimbursement of $7 for incidental expenses"
an item that is incidental
"The small souvenir was merely an incidental part of his extensive travel collection."
Minor items, not further defined. Incidental expense.
"The reimbursement form allowed us to list minor office supplies as an incidental expense without needing itemized receipts."
In plain English: An incidental is something that happens by chance while you are doing something else, but it isn't really what you were trying to do or focus on.
"The movie featured an incidental that showed how small actions can change history."
(sometimes followed by `to') minor or casual or subordinate in significance or nature or occurring as a chance concomitant or consequence
"incidental expenses"
"the road will bring other incidental advantages"
"extra duties incidental to the job"
"labor problems incidental to a rapid expansion"
"confusion incidental to a quick change"
not of prime or central importance
"nonessential to the integral meanings of poetry"
"the character's motives remain accidental to the plot"
occurring with or following as a consequence
"an excessive growth of bureaucracy, with attendant problems"
"snags incidental to the changeover in management"
"attendant circumstances"
"the period of tension and consequent need for military preparedness"
"the ensuant response to his appeal"
"the resultant savings were considerable"
"collateral target damage from a bombing run"
Loosely associated; existing as a byproduct, tangent, or accident; being a likely consequence.
"The discovery of rare fossils was merely incidental to the main purpose of building the new highway."
In plain English: Incidental means something that happens by chance while you are doing something else and isn't really important to your main goal.
"The noise from the construction was just an incidental part of our morning commute."
Usage: Use incidental to describe minor costs that arise naturally from an activity rather than the main purpose of it. This word is often confused with "incidence," which refers only to frequency or occurrence rates.
The word incidental comes from combining the noun incident with the suffix -al to mean "relating to an incident." It entered English as a straightforward formation that describes something happening by chance or as a secondary part of another event.