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

Examples of inadvertent in a Sentence

an inadvertent encounter with a rattlesnake in the brush

Recent Examples on the Web

According to several people who worked with Xu, the publication stated, the Chinese billionaire chooses to avoid a national spotlight because of his personality and to minimize any inadvertent scrutiny Shein could face if more attention were to be paid to him. —Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 18 June 2024

But the symbolism, perhaps inadvertent, is clear too: Here’s Big Tech reducing the humanities into flatness. —Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 8 May 2024

Games about why wars start, not just who wins, can reveal patterns of inadvertent escalation and suggest mechanisms or strategies that opposing countries can take to avoid war in the first place. —Jacquelyn Schneider, Foreign Affairs, 26 Dec. 2023

Worries about an inadvertent nuclear incident have been around as long as nuclear weapons themselves. —Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week Uk, theweek, 22 Feb. 2024

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 ˌin-əd-ˈvərt-ᵊnt 

1

: not paying attention : inattentive

2

: not meant, sought, or intended : unintentional

an inadvertent violation of the law

inadvertently adverb