inadvertent

adjective

in·ad·ver·tent ˌi-nəd-ˈvər-tᵊnt How to pronounce inadvertent (audio)

: unintentional

an inadvertent omission

: not focusing the mind on a matter : inattentive

inadvertently adverb

Did you know?

The Formation of Inadvertent

It may look innocent, but inadvertent belongs to a class of words that provoke anger in many people who care about language – to wit, the back-formation. Bucking the usual trend in which longer words are formed from shorter ones by the addition of an affix (for example, superficiality from superficial), back-formations are created by clipping off a piece of a longer word; in this case, inadvertent was back-formed from inadvertence or inadvertency. A fair number of these words populate English, including brainwash (from brainwashing), complicit (from complicity), escalate (from escalator), and televise (from television). Certain back-formations, such as liaise (which comes from liaison) rub some people the wrong way. While they are under no obligation to accept liaise, there is nothing inherently wrong with back-formations; they are just another way our language has of creating new words.

Example Sentences

an inadvertent encounter with a rattlesnake in the brush

Recent Examples on the Web Bryant apologized after practice, saying the contact was inadvertent.

Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press, 19 Aug. 2022 This has prompted speculation about whether Li is banned by Beijing because of what seems to be an inadvertent mistake rather a calculated political statement.

Jane Li, Quartz, 16 June 2022 But in a strange twist – and with the almost inadvertent help of a Florida grandmother – that is exactly what's happened.

Tom Schad, USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2022 The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency has been notified by Seabrook Nuclear Power Station that an inadvertent siren activation happened July 12, 2022.

Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 12 July 2022 The actor has quickly emerged as the season's breakout star thanks to his portrayal of Eddie, a heavy metal high schooler and Hellfire Club leader forced to go on the run after his inadvertent involvement in a classmate's mysterious death.

Giovana Gelhoren, PEOPLE.com, 8 July 2022 In Round 2, an inadvertent eye poke led to a timeout and referee examination.

Danny Segura, USA TODAY, 3 July 2022 The problem is that increasing the amount of opioids transported via the mail could create some inadvertent problems.

Ike Brannon, Forbes, 1 July 2022 Even the facts are now in question, and that's a very worrisome trend, that idea that there may be levels of mechanisms of control here, even inadvertent ones.

Nick Romano, EW.com, 27 June 2022 See More

单词	inadvertently
释义	inadvertent adjective in·ad·ver·tent ˌi-nəd-ˈvər-tᵊnt 1 : unintentional an inadvertent omission 2 : not focusing the mind on a matter : inattentive inadvertently adverb Did you know? The Formation of Inadvertent It may look innocent, but inadvertent belongs to a class of words that provoke anger in many people who care about language – to wit, the back-formation. Bucking the usual trend in which longer words are formed from shorter ones by the addition of an affix (for example, superficiality from superficial), back-formations are created by clipping off a piece of a longer word; in this case, inadvertent was back-formed from inadvertence or inadvertency. A fair number of these words populate English, including brainwash (from brainwashing), complicit (from complicity), escalate (from escalator), and televise (from television). Certain back-formations, such as liaise (which comes from liaison) rub some people the wrong way. While they are under no obligation to accept liaise, there is nothing inherently wrong with back-formations; they are just another way our language has of creating new words. Synonyms accidental casual chance fluky flukey fortuitous incidental unintended unintentional unplanned unpremeditated unwitting See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences an inadvertent encounter with a rattlesnake in the brush Recent Examples on the Web Bryant apologized after practice, saying the contact was inadvertent. Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press, 19 Aug. 2022 This has prompted speculation about whether Li is banned by Beijing because of what seems to be an inadvertent mistake rather a calculated political statement. Jane Li, Quartz, 16 June 2022 But in a strange twist – and with the almost inadvertent help of a Florida grandmother – that is exactly what's happened. Tom Schad, USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2022 The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency has been notified by Seabrook Nuclear Power Station that an inadvertent siren activation happened July 12, 2022. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 12 July 2022 The actor has quickly emerged as the season's breakout star thanks to his portrayal of Eddie, a heavy metal high schooler and Hellfire Club leader forced to go on the run after his inadvertent involvement in a classmate's mysterious death. Giovana Gelhoren, PEOPLE.com, 8 July 2022 In Round 2, an inadvertent eye poke led to a timeout and referee examination. Danny Segura, USA TODAY, 3 July 2022 The problem is that increasing the amount of opioids transported via the mail could create some inadvertent problems. Ike Brannon, Forbes, 1 July 2022 Even the facts are now in question, and that's a very worrisome trend, that idea that there may be levels of mechanisms of control here, even inadvertent ones. Nick Romano, EW.com, 27 June 2022 See More Word History Etymology back-formation from inadvertence First Known Use 1653, in the meaning defined at sense 2 Kids Definition inadvertent adjective in·ad·ver·tent ˌi-nəd-ˈvər-tᵊnt : not intended or deliberate : accidental an inadvertent mistake inadvertently adverb as in accidentally Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance accidentally unwittingly unintentionally unconsciously fortuitously carelessly casually arbitrarily indiscriminately capriciously whimsically informally offhandedly promiscuously intermittently randomly offhand unpredictably haphazardly disjointedly fitfully irregularly disconnectedly erratically haphazard aimlessly spottily desultorily willy-nilly anywise hit or miss anyway anyhow topsy-turvy higgledy-piggledy helter-skelter Antonyms & Near Antonyms systematically methodically formally carefully deliberately intentionally purposely gingerly orderly meticulously purposefully punctiliously See More
随便看	gomorrhas Gompers Gomphocarpus gomphodont Gompholobium gomphoses gomphotheres gomphotheria Gomphotheriidae gomphotheriidaes arms of dominion arms of office arms of pretension arms of sovereignty arms of succession arms race armscye armseye armsful Armstrong armstrongs armt armure armures army

inadvertent

adjective

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

adjective

adverb