inadvertent

adjective

in·​ad·​ver·​tent ˌi-nəd-ˈvər-tᵊnt How to pronounce inadvertent (audio)
1
: unintentional
an inadvertent omission
2
: not focusing the mind on a matter : inattentive
inadvertently adverb

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The Formation of Inadvertent

It may look innocent, but inadvertent belongs to a class of words that provoke anger in many people who care about language – to wit, the back-formation. Bucking the usual trend in which longer words are formed from shorter ones by the addition of an affix (for example, superficiality from superficial), back-formations are created by clipping off a piece of a longer word; in this case, inadvertent was back-formed from inadvertence or inadvertency. A fair number of these words populate English, including brainwash (from brainwashing), complicit (from complicity), escalate (from escalator), and televise (from television). Certain back-formations, such as liaise (which comes from liaison) rub some people the wrong way. While they are under no obligation to accept liaise, there is nothing inherently wrong with back-formations; they are just another way our language has of creating new words.

Examples of inadvertent in a Sentence

an inadvertent encounter with a rattlesnake in the brush
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The White House has dismissed the episode as a minor mistake and top congressional Republicans seemed ready to chalk it up as an inadvertent mix-up, but Democrats were in no mood to do so. Carl Hulse, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2025 Apparently, an inadvertent phone number made it onto that thread. Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 25 Mar. 2025 The inadvertent leak raises alarm bells about the potential mishandling of national security information. Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2025 Pattis called the release an inadvertent and ultimately harmless transmittal to three Jones lawyers in Texas. Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for inadvertent

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from inadvertence

First Known Use

1653, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of inadvertent was in 1653

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Cite this Entry

“Inadvertent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inadvertent. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

inadvertent

adjective
in·​ad·​ver·​tent ˌin-əd-ˈvərt-ᵊnt How to pronounce inadvertent (audio)
1
: not paying attention : inattentive
2
: not meant, sought, or intended : unintentional
an inadvertent violation of the law
inadvertently adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on inadvertent

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