ˌən-in-ˈten(t)-sh(ə-)nəl
1
as in accidental
happening by chance
an unintentional encounter with an old classmate at the mall
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in spontaneous
not made or done willingly or by choice
an unintentional insult that nevertheless was very hurtful
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of unintentional
McDavid maintained in a postgame interview with TNT that the contact to the head was unintentional.
—
Daniel Nugent-Bowman, The Athletic, 19 Jan. 2025
Now, an apologetic Martin, who says the damage to the bluff was unintentional, has won city of Miami approval for an unprecedented fix — hiring a skilled stonemason to recreate the missing top two-and-a-half feet of the exposed, naturally jagged rock outcropping.
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 2025
Since the unintentional execution pause starting in 2011, the state's death row population has been reduced significantly.
—Landon Mion, Fox News, 5 Jan. 2025
Richardson claims Texas' unintentional hemp marketplace is now larger than any of the 24 states that voted in recreational marijuana.
—John Burnett, NPR, 13 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for unintentional 
Daniel Nugent-Bowman, The Athletic, 19 Jan. 2025
Now, an apologetic Martin, who says the damage to the bluff was unintentional, has won city of Miami approval for an unprecedented fix — hiring a skilled stonemason to recreate the missing top two-and-a-half feet of the exposed, naturally jagged rock outcropping.
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 2025
Since the unintentional execution pause starting in 2011, the state's death row population has been reduced significantly.
—Landon Mion, Fox News, 5 Jan. 2025
Richardson claims Texas' unintentional hemp marketplace is now larger than any of the 24 states that voted in recreational marijuana.
—John Burnett, NPR, 13 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for unintentional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unintentional
Adjective
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And while their first born, Luna takes after her cheeky mom (see her accidental recreation of Teigen's famous meme face), the other three — Miles, 6, Esti, 19 months and Wren, 14 months — are Legend's miniature twins.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
People.com,
25 Jan. 2025
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Key Background Musk has yet to elaborate on the gesture made Monday, though defenders such as the Anti-Defamation League have chalked up the action to being accidental or awkward as opposed to an intentional Nazi salute.—
Antonio Pequeño IV,
Forbes,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Read More: These Are the Best Ways to Improve Your Memory In addition, bus drivers, aircraft pilots, and ship captains—the jobs with less spontaneous decision-making—had Alzheimer’s death rates typical of the rest of the population.—
Christopher M. Worsham,
TIME,
14 Jan. 2025
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My creative process is instinctive and spontaneous.—
Stephan Rabimov,
Forbes,
14 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Many players are unwilling to move, and a combination of a compressed timeline and acute needs can lead to overpaying.—
James McNicholas,
The Athletic,
23 Jan. 2025
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ByteDance is said to be unwilling to part ways with its powerful proprietary algorithms.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The tool’s autonomy introduces potential risks, including unintended consequences from task executions and vulnerabilities in circumventing existing system protection measures.—
Quartz Intelligence Newsroom,
Quartz,
24 Jan. 2025
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This helps uncover unintended consequences and ensures a fairer distribution of benefits.—
Karlo Tanjuakio,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near unintentional
Cite this Entry
“Unintentional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unintentional. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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