casualty
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
a person who is injured or killed in a serious accident or a war.
a person killed or injured in a war or accident. Often used in the plural to report total losses after a conflict or disaster.
Simple“The news reported that there were many casualties after the earthquake hit the city.”
In context“Military analysts expressed concern over the rising number of civilian casualties as the conflict moved into more densely populated urban areas.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
someone or something that is destroyed or suffers because of a situation or event.
a person or thing that suffers, is lost, or is destroyed as a result of a particular event or series of events.
Simple“Small local shops were the main casualties of the new shopping mall opening nearby.”
In context“The arts programme became an early casualty of the government's aggressive new austerity measures and budget cuts.”
Antonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
the part of a hospital where people go when they have a sudden injury or emergency.
the department of a hospital providing immediate treatment for emergency cases.
Simple“He was rushed to casualty after he fell off his bike and broke his arm.”
In context“The casualty department was overwhelmed on Saturday night following a multi-vehicle pileup on the motorway.”
UsageOften used as a proper noun or as 'the casualty department'.
Synonymsemergency roomA&E - 04 C1 Advanced
a soldier who cannot fight anymore because they are dead, hurt, sick, or captured.
a person in military service who becomes unavailable for duty due to death, injury, illness, capture, or desertion.
Simple“The general was shocked by the high casualty rate during the first day of the battle.”
In context“The official report included every soldier missing in action as a casualty until their specific status could be verified by field intelligence.”
Synonyms
“Russia suffered a reported 39,000 casualties in June and nearly 43,000 in July – its highest losses since January 2025.”
“Regional Governor Alexander Drozdenko said the fire had been brought under control and cleared with no casualties reported.”
From casual, from Middle French casuel, from Medieval Latin casualitas and Late Latin cāsuālis (“happening by chance”), from Latin cāsus (“event”) (English case), from cadere (“to fall”). Originally meaning “a chance event” (compare casual, as in “casual encounter”), it developed a negative meaning as “an unfortunate event”, especially the loss of a person.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.