casual

[ kazh-oo-uhl ]

adjective

1. happening by chance; fortuitous:

   a casual meeting.

   Synonyms: incidental, unexpected

   Antonyms: planned

2. without definite or serious intention; careless or offhand; passing:

   a casual remark.

3. appropriate for wear or use on informal occasions; not dressy:

   casual clothes; casual wear.

4. seeming or tending to be indifferent to what is happening; relaxed; nonchalant:

   a casual, unconcerned air.

5. without emotional intimacy or commitment:

   casual sex.

6. irregular; occasional:

   a casual visitor.

   Synonyms: unpredictable, unconcerned, indifferent, apathetic, unceremonious, informal

   Antonyms: serious, formal, concerned

7. accidental:

   a casual mishap.

8. noting or relating to activities that do not require much skill or time commitment: Compare hard-core ( def 6 ).

   casual gamers.

9. Obsolete. uncertain.

noun

1. a worker employed only irregularly.
2. a soldier temporarily at a station or other place of duty, and usually en route to another station.
3. Usually casuals. an article of clothing for casual wear.
4. a person who does something only occasionally:

   Most of our customers are casuals.

5. Usually Disparaging. a person who plays video games that do not require much skill or time commitment.

casual

/ ˈkæʒjʊəl /

adjective

1. happening by accident or chance

   a casual meeting

2. offhand; not premeditated

   a casual remark

3. shallow or superficial

   a casual affair

4. being or seeming unconcerned or apathetic

   he assumed a casual attitude

5. (esp of dress) for informal wear

   a casual coat

6. occasional or irregular

   casual visits

   a casual labourer

7. biology another term for adventive

noun

1. usually plural an informal article of clothing or footwear
2. an occasional worker
3. biology another term for an adventive
4. usually plural a young man dressed in expensive casual clothes who goes to football matches in order to start fights

Derived Forms

• ˈcasually, adverb
• ˈcasualness, noun

Other Words From

• cas·u·al·ly adverb
• cas·u·al·ness noun
• o·ver·cas·u·al adjective
• o·ver·cas·u·al·ness noun
• ul·tra·cas·u·al adjective
• ul·tra·cas·u·al·ness noun
• un·cas·u·al adjective
• un·cas·u·al·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of casual¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Latin cāsuālis, equivalent to cāsus case ¹ + -ālis -al ¹; replacing Middle English casuel, from Middle French, from Latin as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of casual¹

C14: from Late Latin cāsuālis happening by chance, from Latin cāsus event, from cadere to fall; see case ¹

Synonym Study

See accidental.

Example Sentences

It gets screenshotted and reposted by casual meme spreaders.

From Slate

Robert Sietsma, at Eater, wrote in April 2023 that the Noortwyck is a "handsome but casual restaurant" that "may sound snooty; it's anything but."

From Salon

She also collaborated with the costume team on Bianca’s casual approach to fashion, which included sneakers, T-shirts and bomber jackets.

From Los Angeles Times

As with birtherism his casual indifference to policy details, along with his made-up fantasy narratives, makes the gaslighting involved far more central.

From Salon

Mr Sharif agreed that when he met Ms Batool he was 32 or 33 and she was 20, and that it was a casual relationship at first.

From BBC

Related Words

• cool
• cursory
• easygoing
• folksy
• homey
• informal
• laid-back
• mellow
• offhand