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Webster 1913 Edition


Casual

Cas′u-al

,
Adj.
[OE.
casuel
, F.
casuel
, fr. L.
casualis
, fr.
casus
fall, accident, fr.
cadere
to fall. See
Case
.]
1.
Happening or coming to pass without design, and without being foreseen or expected; accidental; fortuitous; coming by chance.
Casual
breaks, in the general system.
W. Irving.
2.
Coming without regularity; occasional; incidental;
as,
casual
expenses
.
Syn. – Accidental; fortutious; incidental; occasional; contingent; unforeseen. See
Accidental
.

Cas′u-al

,
Noun.
One who receives relief for a night in a parish to which he does not belong; a vagrant.

Webster 1828 Edition


Casual

CASUAL

, a.
1.
Falling; happening or coming to pass without design in the person or persons affected, and without being foreseen, or expected; accidental; fortuitous; coming by chance; as, the parties had a casual rencounter.
2.
Occasional; coming at certain times, without regularity, in distinction from stated, or regular; as casual expenses.
3.
Taking place, or beginning to exist without an efficient intelligent cause, and without design.
Atheists assert that the existence of things is casual.

Definition 2024


casual

casual

English

Alternative forms

Adjective

casual (comparative more casual, superlative most casual)

  1. Happening by chance.
    They only had casual meetings.
  2. Coming without regularity; occasional or incidental.
    The purchase of donuts was just a casual expense.
  3. Employed irregularly.
    • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 17, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
      This time was most dreadful for Lilian. Thrown on her own resources and almost penniless, she maintained herself and paid the rent of a wretched room near the hospital by working as a charwoman, sempstress, anything. In a moment she had dropped to the level of a casual labourer.
    He was just a casual worker.
  4. Careless.
    • 2007, Nick Holland, The Girl on the Bus (page 117)
      I removed my jacket and threw it casually over the back of the settee.
  5. Happening or coming to pass without design.
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 8, in The China Governess:
      It was a casual sneer, obviously one of a long line. There was hatred behind it, but of a quiet, chronic type, nothing new or unduly virulent, and he was taken aback by the flicker of amazed incredulity that passed over the younger man's ravaged face.
  6. Informal, relaxed.
  7. Designed for informal or everyday use.

Derived terms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Translations

Noun

casual (plural casuals)

  1. (Britain, Australia, New Zealand) A worker who is only working for a company occasionally, not as its permanent employee.
  2. A soldier temporarily at a place of duty, usually en route to another place of duty.
  3. (Britain) A member of a group of football hooligans who wear expensive designer clothing to avoid police attention; see Casual (subculture).
  4. One who receives relief for a night in a parish to which he does not belong; a vagrant.
  5. (video games, informal) A player of casual games.

Translations

References

  • casual in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Anagrams


Catalan

Adjective

casual m, f (masculine and feminine plural casuals)

  1. casual
  2. unplanned

Derived terms

  • casualitat
  • casualment

Portuguese

Adjective

casual m, f (plural casuais, comparable)

  1. casual (happening by chance)
  2. casual (coming without regularity)
  3. casual (designed for informal or everyday use)

Synonyms


Spanish

Adjective

casual m, f (plural casuales)

  1. casual
  2. accidental

Derived terms