unintentional
adjective
un·in·ten·tion·al
ˌən-in-ˈten(t)-sh(ə-)nəl
: not done by intention or design : not intentional
an unintentional effect
causing unintentional harm/offense
unintentionally
adverb
an unintentionally offensive remark
Synonyms
Examples of unintentional in a Sentence
an unintentional encounter with an old classmate at the mall
an unintentional insult that nevertheless was very hurtful
Recent Examples on the Web
Nearly 40% of those fires were unintentional, almost 30% of them starting in the hot engine area, wheel area or underneath the vehicle.
—
Rey Covarrubias Jr., The Arizona Republic, 16 June 2024
There’s a fine line between self-consciously campy and unintentional, straight-up camp.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 19 May 2024
Even the Geneva Conventions’ prohibition on civilian starvation as a method of war includes exceptions and ambiguities, such as when starvation is unintentional or incidental to military objectives.
—Zach Helder, Foreign Affairs, 22 Mar. 2024
Miss Manners understands that any humor was unintentional, but perhaps your friends misconstrued your tone.
—Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 31 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for unintentional 
Rey Covarrubias Jr., The Arizona Republic, 16 June 2024
There’s a fine line between self-consciously campy and unintentional, straight-up camp.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 19 May 2024
Even the Geneva Conventions’ prohibition on civilian starvation as a method of war includes exceptions and ambiguities, such as when starvation is unintentional or incidental to military objectives.
—Zach Helder, Foreign Affairs, 22 Mar. 2024
Miss Manners understands that any humor was unintentional, but perhaps your friends misconstrued your tone.
—Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 31 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for unintentional
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unintentional.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near unintentional
Cite this Entry
“Unintentional.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unintentional. Accessed 30 Jun. 2024.
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