in passing
Not the focus
In passing describes something mentioned briefly or incidentally, not as the main topic: She mentioned in passing that she was moving.
The phrase suggests a casual, almost offhand quality—information shared without emphasis or elaboration, as if while passing by on the way to something else.
Casually unrehearsed
- nonchalantCalmly unconcerned
- informalRelaxed, not official
- breezyMildly windy, or nonchalant
- throwawayDesigned for discard
conversational · unplanned · spontaneous · parenthetical · tangential · sidebar · digression · afterthought
Passing very quickly
- momentaryLasting very briefly
- ephemeralLasting very briefly
- transientTemporary, soon departing
- briefShort in duration
temporary · short-lived · evanescent · impermanent · fugitive · flash · instant · flicker
offhand
Casually unrehearsed
- nonchalantCalmly unconcerned
- informalRelaxed, not official
- breezyMildly windy, or nonchalant
throwaway · conversational · unplanned · spontaneous · parenthetical · tangential · sidebar · digression · afterthought · cursory
fleeting
Passing very quickly
brief · temporary · short-lived · evanescent · impermanent · fugitive · flash · instant · flicker · glimmer
reference
Directing attention elsewhere
footnote · acknowledgment · notation · comment · observation · shout-out · nod · name-drop · citation · allude
- by the wayincidentally, aside, apropos, tangentially, parenthetically
in passingat length
In great detail
in detail · pointedly · deliberately · intentionally · emphatically
in passingin depth
Exhaustively detailed
thoroughly · exhaustively · comprehensively · in full · extensively
in passingdeliberately
Done with intention
intentionally · by design · purposefully · on purpose · premeditatedly
pass, passing, passage, passed, surpass, bypass, passable, passes, passerby