What does casualty mean?
A casualty is a person who is killed or injured as a result of an accident, disaster, military engagement, or other violent event. The term carries no implication of fault; it simply registers harm done. News reports frequently cite casualties when summarising the human cost of earthquakes, crashes, or armed conflict, sometimes distinguishing civilian from military casualties. The word also has a figurative sense: a policy, business, or relationship may be described as "the latest casualty" of changing circumstances, meaning it has been damaged or destroyed by them. In British English, casualty additionally names the hospital emergency department itself — a patient might be "rushed to casualty" — a usage unfamiliar to most American ears. Derived from the Latin "cadere" (to fall) via "casus" (an event or chance occurrence), the word originally carried the sense of something happening by chance. Today its connotations are sombre and factual, lending gravity and precision to writing about loss, danger, and misfortune.
A person killed or injured in an accident, disaster, or military action.
"Ambulances ferried the casualties away from the crash site."
Often used in the plural when reporting aggregate numbers, e.g., "heavy casualties."
(British English) The emergency treatment room in a hospital; short for "casualty ward" or "casualty department."
"She spent the night waiting in casualty for her X-ray results."
Chiefly British; Americans would say "emergency room" or "ER" instead.
A person or thing adversely affected by an event or circumstance; a victim of circumstances.
"Traditional bookshops were early casualties of the digital revolution."
The plural is standard when referring to multiple victims, and especially common in news and military reporting where aggregate figures are given.
"Official reports put the number of casualties at over two hundred."
In British hospitals, you don't go to the ER — you head straight for "casualty," a word born from the Latin word for "chance."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of casualty
Casualty derives from the medieval Latin "casualitas," formed on "casualis," meaning happening by chance, which in turn comes from Latin "casus" (a fall or chance event), from the verb "cadere" (to fall). The word entered English in the late Middle Ages, initially denoting chance or contingency, before narrowing by the sixteenth century to mean a mishap or unfortunate accident. By the seventeenth century it had come to signify a person injured or killed, particularly in warfare. It shares its root with words such as "case," "occasion," "chance," and "casual."
How casualty is actually used
In British English, "casualty" alone can mean the hospital emergency department (e.g., "He was rushed to casualty"), while American speakers use it almost exclusively for people killed or injured. In military and news contexts, casualty figures often include both the wounded and the dead, though some readers assume it means only fatalities — context usually clarifies.
Easily confused with casualty
"Casualty" refers to a person injured or killed (or something harmed), while "causality" refers to the relationship between cause and effect.
In British English, the "casualty" department (or A&E) is the hospital emergency room, whereas in American English "casualty" is not used this way.