inadvertent
Americanadjective
-
unintentional.
an inadvertent insult.
-
not attentive; heedless.
- Synonyms:
- inattentive
-
of, relating to, or characterized by lack of attention.
- Synonyms:
- negligent, careless, thoughtless
adjective
-
failing to act carefully or considerately; inattentive
-
resulting from heedless action; unintentional
Other Word Forms
- inadvertently adverb
Etymology
Origin of inadvertent
First recorded in 1645–55; abstracted from inadvertence, inadvertency
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That way if my husband inadvertently saw my conversation history in my sidebar, there would be no inadvertent spoiler.
With the substitution exposed, Fox claimed the error was inadvertent.
From Salon
McDonnell said he ordered an internal audit to determine whether similar inadvertent sharing had occurred within the Los Angeles Police Department.
From Los Angeles Times
At a previous High Court hearing, lawyers for Matt Goodwin and his election agent Adam Rawlinson acknowledged some election leaflets had failed to include a "statutory imprint", something which constituted "inadvertent illegal practice".
From BBC
No matter, many took his comments to be an inadvertent slip of the greatest secret in history.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
