different between incidental vs parenthetical

English

Etymology

From incident +? -al.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?ns??d?nt?l/, /?ns??d?nt?l/
  • (US) IPA^(key): (nasal flap) [?ns??d?.???l], (enunciated) [?ns??d?n.t??l]

Adjective

incidental (comparative more incidental, superlative most incidental)

1. Loosely associated; existing as a byproduct, tangent, or accident; being a likely consequence.

   That character, though colorful, is incidental to the overall plot.

2. Occurring by chance
3. (physics, of radiation) Entering or approaching, prior to reflection (more frequently incident).

Synonyms

• (existing as an accident): accidental, contingent; See also Thesaurus:circumstantial
• (occurring by chance): accidental, serendipitous; See also Thesaurus:accidental

Antonyms

• (existing as an accident): inevitable, necessary, impossible; See also Thesaurus:inevitable
• (occurring by chance): inevitable, intentional; See also Thesaurus:intentional

Derived terms

• incidental expense
• incidentally
• incidental music

Related terms

• incident
• incidence

Translations

Noun

incidental (plural incidentals)

1. Minor items, not further defined. Incidental expense.

   She's costing us a lot in incidentals.

2. Something that is incidental.

Translations

Anagrams

• anticlined

Portuguese

Adjective

incidental m or f (plural incidentais, comparable)

1. incidental (existing by chance)

Romanian

Etymology

From French incidentel

Adjective

incidental m or n (feminine singular incidental?, masculine plural incidentali, feminine and neuter plural incidentale)

1. incidental

Declension

Spanish

Adjective

incidental (plural incidentales)

1. incidental (existing by chance)

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?pæ.??n.??t.?kl?/

Adjective

parenthetical (not comparable)

1. using, containing, or within parenthesis

   the parenthetical portion of the sentence "Bob (my best friend) works in finance"

2. that explains or qualifies something
3. that is incidental

Noun

parenthetical (plural parentheticals)

1. A word or phrase within parentheses.
2. (screenwriting) A descriptor or modifier enclosed within parentheses and put, indented, in a line of dialogue to describe how it should be acted or directed onscreen.