incidentally

adverb

in·​ci·​den·​tal·​ly ˌin(t)-sə-ˈden-tᵊl-ē How to pronounce incidentally (audio)
 especially for sense 2  -ˈdent-lē
1
: in an incidental manner : not intentionally
the arrant nonsense of some of his statements is incidentally hilariousJohn Lahr
2
: by way of interjection or digression : by the way
fortunate in having a good teacher … —still living, incidentallyJohn Fischer

Examples of incidentally in a Sentence

Not incidentally, the market slump was followed by widespread layoffs. incidentally, have you seen the new building they're putting up?
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Putting aside the many risks, there are clearly vast profits to be made in doing business with Russia, which incidentally also has the world’s fourth biggest reserves of rare earths, far bigger than Ukraine’s. Matthew Chance, CNN, 2 Mar. 2025 The show would end, incidentally, with another famous Oscars moment: The awards were given out with 20 minutes left to broadcast, leaving the Academy to wing it. Bill Wyman, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2025 Limon was writing, incidentally, just a year before the nation would profess to have its sense of humor upended. Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2025 Not incidentally, some of those scientists had been reviewing Musk’s Neuralink startup. Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 25 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for incidentally

Word History

First Known Use

1665, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of incidentally was in 1665

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Cite this Entry

“Incidentally.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incidentally. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

incidentally

adverb
in·​ci·​den·​tal·​ly ˌin(t)-sə-ˈdent-ᵊl-ē How to pronounce incidentally (audio)
 especially for sense 2  -ˈdent-lē
1
: in an incidental manner
discusses the problem only incidentally
2
: apart from that : by the way
a one-room school—still standing, incidentally—which was painted red

More from Merriam-Webster on incidentally

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