What does casual mean?
Casual describes anything relaxed, informal, or free from strict convention — from clothing and conversation to attitudes and arrangements. A casual dress code permits jeans where suits might otherwise be required; a casual remark is made lightly, without careful thought or weight. The word can also signal something unplanned or irregular, as in casual labor taken on day by day rather than through steady employment. Its connotations depend heavily on context: casual ease is often admired as confidence and comfort, yet a casual approach to an important task suggests carelessness or a lack of commitment. Derived from the Latin casus, meaning "fall" or "chance," it originally carried the sense of occurring by accident before evolving to describe unhurried informality. Today it is among the most common adjectives in English social life, shaping everything from fashion categories to workplace culture, and its near-homophone "causal" makes careful spelling worthwhile.
Relaxed and informal in manner, dress, or style; also, done without seriousness, care, or planning, or occurring by chance.
"They kept the meeting casual, talking over coffee rather than sitting at the conference table."
Informally, a garment or item of casual clothing; chiefly British, also a person employed on a casual or temporary basis.
"Pack a couple of casuals for the beach trip."
As a noun, the plural "casuals" typically refers to casual clothes or shoes; in British English it can also mean casual workers.
"On summer weekends he lives in shorts and casuals."
"Casual" and "causal" differ by just one letter — swap them and you've changed a laid-back attitude into a statement about cause and effect.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of casual
Casual derives from the Late Latin casualis, meaning "subject to chance," built on casus, "a fall or chance event" — the same root that gives English "case" and "occasion." It entered English in the late 16th century with the sense of happening by chance or irregularity. Over time the meaning broadened to describe anything informal, relaxed, or lacking fixed commitment, a shift well established by the 19th century. It shares its ultimate origin, the Latin verb cadere ("to fall"), with words such as "chance," "incident," and "decay."
Related word forms
How casual is actually used
In everyday use, "casual" most often carries positive connotations of comfort and ease, but describing someone's effort or interest as casual can imply negligence or indifference. As a noun, "casual" refers informally to casual clothing ("wear casuals") or, chiefly in British usage, to a temporary worker.
Easily confused with casual
"Causal" relates to cause and effect, while "casual" means relaxed or informal — the two differ by a single letter but are entirely unrelated in meaning.