unintentional

adjective

un·​in·​ten·​tion·​al

ˌən-in-ˈten(t)-sh(ə-)nəl

 

: not done by intention or design : not intentional

an unintentional effect

causing unintentional harm/offense

unintentionally adverb

an unintentionally offensive remark

Synonyms

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

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

Studies have found evidence that these laws prevent unintentional shootings of children. —John Diedrich, USA TODAY, 14 Dec. 2024

These might be unintentional misuses, such as lawyers over-relying on AI. —Arvind Narayanan, WIRED, 13 Dec. 2024

Also, an unintentional theme is two-hour drives to Manhattan. —Clio Chang, Curbed, 13 Dec. 2024

Incorporate Global Metrics In AI Development: Establishing global evaluation metrics that include non-Western perspectives ensures that AI applications don’t reinforce unintentional biases. —Gyehyon Andrea Jo, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1782, in the meaning defined above