inadvertently
Americanadverb
-
unintentionally; without meaning to.
I apologize to anyone I have inadvertently left off this list.
-
through lack of attention; without anyone noticing.
There is the potential for one set of rules to inadvertently replace another.
Etymology
Origin of inadvertently
Explanation
Inadvertently is an adverb that means "without knowledge or intent," like when you inadvertently take someone else's coat from the coatroom because it looks just like yours. When you do something inadvertently, you don't mean to do it — you might inadvertently step in a puddle, leave something important at home, or hurt your friend's feelings. Some things that happen inadvertently aren't mistakes, though: They happen by chance. For example, if you just happen to park your car at the exact place that blocks a bus from hitting a pedestrian, you've inadvertently saved a life.
Vocabulary lists containing inadvertently
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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.
Just a couple of days before that now-infamous blog post, the firm inadvertently provided a different, no-less-perfect example of the perils of mass digitization.
From Slate • Jul. 7, 2026
And by avoiding the title “teacher,” the models can inadvertently minimize the profession, he adds.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 4, 2026
The pause came after private conversations and performance data inadvertently became accessible to all staff.
From Barron's • Jul. 1, 2026
A “gamma squeeze” happens when aggressive buying of bullish call options creates a self-fulfilling feedback loop, with market makers inadvertently pushing the value of the underlying asset higher while scrambling to hedge their positions.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 15, 2026
But her main accomplishment may have been inadvertently to keep new ideas about Amazonian history from the public eye—ideas about its past that may, according to their advocates, play a role in safeguarding its future.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
