inadvertent

adjective

in·​ad·​ver·​tent ˌi-nəd-ˈvər-tᵊnt 

1

: unintentional

an inadvertent omission

2

: not focusing the mind on a matter : inattentive

inadvertently adverb

Did you know?

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.

Synonyms

• accidental
• casual
• chance
• fluky
• flukey
• fortuitous
• incidental
• unintended
• unintentional
• unplanned
• unpremeditated
• unwitting

Examples of inadvertent in a Sentence

an inadvertent encounter with a rattlesnake in the brush

Recent Examples on the Web

Defendant referred to victim in past tense, detective testifies Cousins’ status as a possible suspect was strengthened by his inadvertent language missteps in his first interview with a Fort Worth Police Department Homicide Unit detective, the jury learned on Tuesday. —Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Apr. 2025

Skinner has been out of commission since getting an inadvertent knee in the head from the Dallas Stars’ Mikko Rantanen on March 26. —Daniel Nugent-Bowman, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025

Downsides exist and can undercut your efforts by inadvertent misuse or overuse of this technique. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025

The inadvertent inclusion of a journalist on a Signal group chat discussing attack plans means officials likely violated the Espionage Act and public records laws while flouting guidance on how to discuss sensitive information. —Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 28 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from inadvertence

First Known Use

1653, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

inadvertent

adjective

in·​ad·​ver·​tent ˌin-əd-ˈvərt-ᵊnt 

1

: not paying attention : inattentive

2

: not meant, sought, or intended : unintentional

an inadvertent violation of the law

inadvertently adverb