inadvertent

[ in-uhd-vur-tnt ]

adjective

1. unintentional:

   an inadvertent insult.

2. not attentive; heedless.

   Synonyms: inattentive

3. of, relating to, or characterized by lack of attention.

   Synonyms: negligent, careless, thoughtless

inadvertent

/ ˌɪnədˈvɜːtənt /

adjective

1. failing to act carefully or considerately; inattentive
2. resulting from heedless action; unintentional

Derived Forms

• ˌinadˈvertently, adverb

Other Words From

• in·ad·vert·ent·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of inadvertent¹

First recorded in 1645–55; abstracted from inadvertence, inadvertency

Example Sentences

A DSMA-notice is issued to prevent inadvertent public disclosure of information that would compromise UK military and intelligence operations.

From BBC

Calloway's decision angered and entertained people, which seems to have been her inadvertent intention.

From Salon

A Treasury minister's failure to register a London rental property has been deemed as "inadvertent" by the parliamentary commissioner for standards.

From BBC

An international team of scientists has recently found that non-native species are expanding their ranges many orders of magnitude faster than native ones, in large part due to inadvertent human help.

From Science Daily

“The incident with the excavator was inadvertent as the operator was scheduled to work at a nearby site and confused the addresses.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• careless
• reckless
• unintended
• unintentional
• unwitting