Casualty — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun /ˈka-zhəl-tē/ ca·su·al·ty

Meaning & Definition of Casualty

Casualty (noun)

  1. a military person lost through death, wounds, injury, sickness, internment, or capture or through being missing in action
  2. a person or thing injured, lost, or destroyed, victim
  3. serious or fatal accident, disaster

Casualty (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a person or thing harmed, lost, or destroyed

    "the real casualties in the war against drugs are millions of innocent children"

    similar: fatality, loss, prey, victim
    related: loser, underdog, martyr, sacrifice, collateral damage, murderee
    near: gainer, victor, winner, harmer, injurer, assassin, killer, murderer

  2. a chance and usually sudden event bringing loss or injury

    "casualties at sea that sometimes resulted in great losses of men or even of entire ships"

    similar: accident, mischance, mishap
    related: calamity, cataclysm, catastrophe, cropper, deathblow, disaster, tragedy, bummer, knock, misadventure, misfortune, collision, crack-up, crash, smashup, wreck
    near: boon, break, fluke, godsend, miracle, strike, windfall, fortune, luck, serendipity

  3. the uncertain course of events

    "believes finding one's true love is too important a matter to be left to mere casualty"

    similar: accident, chance, circumstance, hap, hazard, luck
    related: fortuitousness, fortuity, haphazardry, randomness, uncertainty, fluke, happenchance, happenstance, destiny, doom, fate, fortune, lot, danger, peril, risk
    near: intent, intention, purpose, design, outline, plan, scheme

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Casualty

The most common words with a similar meaning to Casualty:

fatality, loss, prey, victim, accident, mischance, mishap, chance, circumstance, hap, hazard, luck

Related Words for Casualty

loser, underdog, martyr, sacrifice, collateral damage, murderee, calamity, cataclysm, catastrophe, cropper, deathblow, disaster, tragedy, bummer, knock, misadventure, misfortune, collision, crack-up, crash, smashup, wreck, fortuitousness, fortuity, haphazardry, randomness, uncertainty, fluke, happenchance, happenstance

Near Antonyms of Casualty

gainer, victor, winner, harmer, injurer, assassin, killer, murderer, boon, break, fluke, godsend, miracle, strike, windfall, fortune, luck, serendipity, intent, intention, purpose, design, outline, plan, scheme

Word Forms of Casualty

Inflections: casualties

Origin & Etymology of Casualty

First known use: 15th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Casualty

Frequently Asked Questions about Casualty

What does "Casualty" mean?

"Casualty" means a military person lost through death, wounds, injury, sickness, internment, or capture or through being missing in action. As a noun, it is defined as: a military person lost through death, wounds, injury, sickness, internment, or capture or through being missing in action. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Casualty"?

Other words for "Casualty" include fatality, loss, prey, victim, accident, mischance, mishap and chance. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Casualty" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Casualty"?

There are 50 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Casualty". Common alternatives include fatality, loss, prey, victim, accident, mischance, mishap, chance, circumstance and hap.

How do you use "Casualty" in a sentence?

Examples of "Casualty" in a sentence: "the real casualties in the war against drugs are millions of innocent children"; "casualties at sea that sometimes resulted in great losses of men or even of entire ships"; "believes finding one's true love is too important a matter to be left to mere casualty".

Is "Casualty" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Casualty" is a noun.

Is "Casualty" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C2-level word, "Casualty" is typical of Cambridge C2 Proficiency (CPE), IELTS band 8.5–9.0, TOEFL iBT 114–120, PTE Academic 85–90. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Casualty"?

"Casualty" is pronounced /ˈka-zhəl-tē/ and divided into syllables as ca·su·al·ty.

What is the origin of the word "Casualty"?

First known use: 15th century.