ca·su·al
ˈka-zhə-wəl 
ˈkazh-wəl,
ˈka-zhəl
1
: subject to, resulting from, or occurring by chance
a casual meeting
2
a
: occurring without regularity : occasional
casual employment
b
: employed for irregular periods
a casual worker
c
: met with on occasion and known only superficially
a casual friend
3
a(1)
: feeling or showing little concern : nonchalant
a casual approach to cooking
(2)
: lacking a high degree of interest or devotion
casual sports fans
casual readers
(3)
: done without serious intent or commitment
casual sex
(2)
: designed for informal use
casual clothing
(3)
: allowing for the wearing of informal clothes
… I had my wedding skirt (yep, skirt—it was a casual wedding) …—
Rory Evans
Rory Evanscasual Fridays [=Fridays when employees (as in an office) are allowed to wear casual clothing]
casually
adverb
casualness
noun
1
: a casual (see casual entry 1 sense 2b) or migratory worker
2
: an officer or enlisted person awaiting assignment or transportation to a unit
Examples of casual in a Sentence
Adjective
a casual encounter on the sidewalk
The atmosphere at the meeting was quite casual.
He made a casual remark about her shoes.
He's a casual sports fan.
Recent Examples on the Web
Seraphina Seow, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2025
Honestly, for movie nights or casual gaming on a massive screen, this one’s hard to top.
—Shubham Yewale, PC Magazine, 14 May 2025
Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 3 May 2025
Getty Images An easy styling trick for nailing smart casual in the cooler months?
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for casual
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Adjective
So, keep initiating the catch-ups, accepting invites for casual hangs, attending those after-work dinners and chatting with acquaintances at events.
—Seraphina Seow, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2025
Honestly, for movie nights or casual gaming on a massive screen, this one’s hard to top.
—Shubham Yewale, PC Magazine, 14 May 2025
Noun
Harder core, existing extraction shooter players thought the game was too dumbed down to be something that improved the genre, catering to casuals.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 3 May 2025
Getty Images An easy styling trick for nailing smart casual in the cooler months?
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for casual
Cite this Entry
“Casual.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/casual. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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