unintentional

adjective

un·​in·​ten·​tion·​al
ˌən-in-ˈten(t)-sh(ə-)nəl
 How to pronounce unintentional (audio)
: not done by intention or design : not intentional
an unintentional effect
causing unintentional harm/offense
unintentionally adverb
an unintentionally offensive remark

Examples of unintentional in a Sentence

an unintentional encounter with an old classmate at the mall an unintentional insult that nevertheless was very hurtful
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.
And despite an unprecedented drop in 2024, drug overdoses and other unintentional injuries were the third leading cause of death in the US for the third year in a row. Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025 The leading causes of death included suicide, diabetes, kidney disease, and unintentional injury. Pien Huang, NPR, 10 Sep. 2025 Additionally, the report showed the three leading causes of death stayed the same from 2023 to 2024, with heart disease as the leading cause, followed by cancer and unintentional injury, respectively. Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2025 The 82-year-old panelist dropped the unintentional spoiler about the CBS series, which ended after five seasons in May, during Latifah’s visit to the Hot Topics table on Tuesday. Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unintentional

Word History

First Known Use

1782, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unintentional was in 1782

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Cite this Entry

“Unintentional.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unintentional. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.

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