Word Confusion: Casual versus Causal

Plural for the noun: casuals

• Made or done without much thought or premeditation
• Done or acting in a desultory way
• Seeming or tending to be indifferent to what is happening
• Apathetic
• Unconcerned
• Done or acting without sufficient care or thoroughness

Not regular or permanent

• Employed or established on a temporary or irregular basis
• [Of a sexual relationship or encounter] Occurring between people who are not regular or established sexual partners
• Without emotional intimacy or commitment

[Attrib.] Happening by chance

• Accidental
• Fortuitous

Without formality of style or manner, in particular (of clothing) suitable for everyday wear rather than formal occasions

Noting or relating to video games that do not require much skill or time commitment, or noting a player of such games

[Obsolete] Uncertain

Noun:
A person who does something irregularly

• [British] A worker employed on an irregular or temporary basis

[British; casuals] Clothes or shoes suitable for everyday wear rather than formal occasions

A soldier temporarily at a station or other place of duty, and usually en route to another station

[Usually disparaging] A person who plays video games that do not require much skill or time commitment

[British] A youth belonging to a subculture characterized by the wearing of expensive everyday clothing and frequently associated with football hooliganism

[Historical] A person admitted to a workhouse for a short period

• [Grammar & Logic] Expressing or indicating a person/thing/movement that gives rise to an action/condition

Stating, involving, or implying a a person/thing/movement that gives rise to an action/condition

Philosophy (of a theory) explaining a phenomenon or analyzing a concept in terms of some person/thing/movement that gives rise to an action/condition relation

He tried to make his voice sound casual.

It was a casual remark, but it hurt all the same.

To the casual observer, rugby looks something like soccer.

The casual way in which victims were treated astounded me.

Peter takes on casual jobs, so he can take off and surf as he wishes.

We make do with casual staff.

They don’t do one-night stands or casual flings.

He pretended it was a casual meeting.

She wore a casual short-sleeved shirt.

Mavis, this is the ideal coat for casual occasions.

I absolutely loved the inn’s casual atmosphere.

Noun:
A number of casuals became regular customers.

I say, Rupert, do you know any casuals. I’ve a fence needs repair.

Eh, just wear your casuals.

No, sir. Those men are casuals passing through on their way to Fort McKinley.

Nah, he’s a casual gamer. Doesn’t want to put in the time.

Punks, skins, casuals, every decade has its archetypal teenager with attitude, demonized by the media to strike fear into the middle-class underbelly.

Vagrants, tramps, and casuals were strictly separated from the resident pauper inmates housed in the gothic splendor of the Main Workhouse.

This could be down to any number of factors, however, but no causal effect has been proven as regards to the hormone shampoo.

Passive smoking is now recognized as a causal factor in the onset of smoke-related illness.

There is no simple causal connection between uncertainty and economic weakness.

As a rule, complex social phenomena like racism cannot be explained in terms of a single causal factor.

Some have even maintained that causal statements can be analyzed in terms of counterfactual conditionals.

And Aristotle is surely mistaken in asserting that knowledge is always causal.

This subjunctive condition is not unrelated to the causal condition.

Let us start with the presupposition that causal determinism obtains.

Jamie first presented the causal part of the argument.

“Causal effects are sought in a sphere which belongs to purposive values” (Münsterberg).