casual

English

Alternative forms

• casuall (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle French casuel, from Late Latin cāsuālis (“happening by chance”), from Latin cāsus (“event”), from cadere (“to fall”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈkæʒuəl/

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 were just casual expenses.

3. Employed irregularly.

   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, The China Governess^[1]:

     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 use.

Synonyms

• accidental
• fortuitous
• incidental
• occasional

Antonyms

• scheduled
• formal

Derived terms

• casually
• casualization
• smart casual

Translations

happening by chance

• Bulgarian: случаен (bg) (slučaen)
• Catalan: casual (ca)
• Czech: náhodný (cs)
• Georgian: შემთხვევითი (ka) (šemt’xvevit’i)
• German: zufällig (de)
• Greek: τυχαίος (el) (tychaíos)

• Hungarian: véletlen (hu)
• Norwegian: tilfeldig (no)
• Polish: dorywczy (pl) m, doraźny (pl) m
• Russian: случайный (ru) (slučájnyj)
• Spanish: casual (es)
• Turkish: tesadüfen (tr), şans eseri (tr)

coming without regularity; occasional or incidental

• Bulgarian: случаен (bg) (slučaen), инцидентен (bg) (incidenten)
• Catalan: ocasional (ca)
• Czech: občasný (cs), příležitostný (cs)
• French: occasionnel (fr)
• German: gelegentlich (de)

• Greek: περιστασιακός (el) (peristasiakós)
• Hungarian: alkalmi (hu)
• Polish: przypadkowy (pl) m
• Russian: случайный (ru) (slučájnyj)
• Turkish: rastgele (tr)

employed irregularly

• German: gelegentlich (de)
• Hungarian: alkalmi (hu)
• Polish: sezonowy (pl) m

• Russian: временный (ru) (vrémennyj), (seasonal) сезонный (ru) (sezónnyj)
• Spanish: ocasional (es)
• Turkish: arasıra (tr)

careless

• Bulgarian: небрежен (bg) (nebrežen)
• German: gleichgültig (de)
• Hungarian: nemtörődöm (hu)

• Polish: niedbały (pl) m
• Russian: небрежный (ru) (nebréžnyj)
• Turkish: boşverci (tr)

happening or coming to pass without design

• Bulgarian: непредвиден (bg) (nepredviden)
• German: unmethodisch (de)
• Greek: απρόβλεπτος (el) (apróvleptos)

• Hungarian: váratlan (hu)
• Russian: непреднамеренный (ru) (neprednamérennyj), непроизвольный (ru) (neproizvól'nyj)

informal, relaxed

• Bulgarian: неофициален (bg) (neoficialen)
• Catalan: informal (ca)
• German: ungezwungen (de), leger (de)
• Hungarian: fesztelen (hu), közvetlen (hu)

• Japanese: カジュアルな (ja) (kajuaru na)
• Russian: неофициальный (ru) (neoficiál'nyj), неформальный (ru) (neformál'nyj)

designed for informal use

• Catalan: informal (ca)
• German: leger (de), sportlich (de), ungezwungen (de)
• Hungarian: hétköznapi (hu), kényelmes (hu), lezser (hu)
• Japanese: カジュアルな (ja) (kajuaru na)
• Polish: codzienny (pl) m

• Russian: повседневный (ru) (povsednévnyj), (clothes only) непарадный (ru) (neparádnyj)
• Spanish: deportivo (es) (clothing)
• Turkish: rahat (tr), sportif (tr)

Noun

casual (plural casuals)

1. (UK, 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. (UK) 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.

Translations

a worker who is only working for a company occasionally

• Czech: brigádník (cs) m

• Hungarian: alkalmi munkás (hu)

References

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

Anagrams

• causal

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Catalan

Adjective

casual m, f (masculine and feminine plural casuals)

1. casual
2. unplanned

Derived terms

• casualitat
• casualment

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Spanish

Adjective

casual m and f (plural casuales)

1. casual
2. accidental

Derived terms

• casualmente