casual

The word “casual” means relaxed and informal, especially in style, manner, or dress. In plain terms, relaxed and informal, or (for work) irregular and not permanent.

“Casual” is pronounced KAZHUHL (/ˈkæʒ(u)əl/ in IPA).

Here is “casual” used in a sentence: “The office has a casual dress code on Fridays.”

Depending on how it is used, “casual” can be an adjective and a noun.

The word “casual” comes from Latin. From Old French casuel, from Latin casualis, "happening by chance," from casus, "an event" — the same root as "case" and "cadence.".

“Casual” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Casual” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: relaxed and informal, especially in style, manner, or dress.

Casual describes a relaxed, informal style, manner, or dress, while formal describes something following strict rules or conventions. A casual outfit might be jeans and a T-shirt, whereas formal wear follows a dress code, such as a suit or evening dress.

The two words overlap and both mean relaxed and not strict. Casual often stresses ease and a lack of effort or planning, while informal simply means not official or ceremonial, so an informal meeting can still be businesslike even if it is not casual in tone.

Casual is often followed by nouns like wear, clothing, dress, conversation, glance, acquaintance, and labour. The phrase 'smart casual' describes a dress code that is relaxed but still neat, sitting between casual and formal.