Definition

Adjective 1. Happening by chance; not planned or expected: Refers to something occurring without intention or prior arrangement. 2. Relaxed, informal, and unconcerned: Describes an attitude, manner, or style that is not formal, serious, or careful. 3. Not regular or permanent; occasional: Describes work, employment, or events that happen only sometimes and are not part of a fixed schedule. 4. Done without care or thoroughness; superficial: Indicates an action performed with little attention or effort. 5. Suitable for everyday use; informal: Describes clothing or items appropriate for ordinary, non-formal situations.

Examples of Usage

• Adjective (by chance):
  • We had a casual meeting at the supermarket.
  • He made a casual remark that stuck with me.
• Adjective (relaxed/informal):
  • He has a very casual attitude towards his responsibilities.
  • The office has a casual dress code on Fridays.
• Adjective (occasional):
  • She works as a casual employee at the restaurant.
  • They have only a casual correspondence.
• Adjective (superficial):
  • He gave the report only a casual glance.
  • A casual inspection missed the critical flaw.
• Adjective (suitable for everyday):
  • Please wear casual clothes to the picnic.
  • These are my casual shoes for walking.

Advanced Usage

• "casual about (something)": Showing a lack of proper concern or seriousness towards something important.
  • You shouldn't be so casual about your health.
• "casual acquaintance": A person one knows slightly, not a close friend.
  • He's just a casual acquaintance from the gym.
• "casual sex": Sexual activity occurring outside a committed romantic relationship, often implying a lack of emotional attachment.

Variants and Related Words

• Casually (adverb): In a casual manner.
  • He mentioned it casually over dinner.
• Casualness (noun): The quality of being casual.
  • The casualness of his apology was insulting.
• Casualty (noun): A person killed or injured in a war or accident. (Note: This is a distinct meaning, not a direct variant of the adjective "casual," but shares the etymological root of "chance occurrence.")
• Casual Friday (noun phrase): A day, typically Friday, when employees are allowed to wear casual clothes to work.

Synonyms

• Chance, accidental, fortuitous (for meaning 1).
• Informal, relaxed, nonchalant, unconcerned (for meaning 2).
• Occasional, irregular, temporary (for meaning 3).
• Cursory, perfunctory, superficial, hasty (for meaning 4).
• Everyday, informal, leisure (for meaning 5).

Antonyms

• Planned, deliberate, intentional (for meaning 1).
• Formal, serious, careful, concerned (for meaning 2).
• Permanent, regular, steady (for meaning 3).
• Thorough, careful, meticulous (for meaning 4).
• Formal, dressy (for meaning 5).

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "Take it casual" / "Take it easy": An informal exhortation to relax and not worry.
  • Just take it casual; everything will be fine.
• "A casual observer": Someone who looks at something without close or expert attention.
  • To a casual observer, the system seems to work perfectly.

Adjective

1. not showing effort or strain
   • a difficult feat performed with casual mastery
   • careless grace
2. natural and unstudied
   • using their Christian names in a casual way
   • lectured in a free-and-easy style
3. characterized by a feeling of irresponsibility; it is no fooling matter"
   • a broken back is nothing to be casual about
4. occurring from time to time
   • casual employment
   • a casual correspondence with a former teacher
   • an occasional worker
5. hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
   • a casual (or cursory) inspection failed to reveal the house's structural flaws
   • a passing glance
   • perfunctory courtesy
6. occurring or appearing or singled out by chance
   • seek help from casual passers-by
   • a casual meeting
   • a chance occurrence
7. appropriate for ordinary or routine occasions
   • casual clothes
   • everyday clothes
8. without or seeming to be without plan or method; offhand
   • a casual remark
   • information collected by casual methods and in their spare time
9. marked by blithe unconcern
   • an ability to interest casual students
   • showed a casual disregard for cold weather
   • an utterly insouciant financial policy
   • an elegantly insouciant manner
   • drove his car with nonchalant abandon
   • was polite in a teasing nonchalant manner