ˌən-in-ˈten(t)-sh(ə-)nəl
1
as in accidental
happening by chance
an unintentional encounter with an old classmate at the mall
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in spontaneous
not made or done willingly or by choice
an unintentional insult that nevertheless was very hurtful
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unintentional
The database will not only include homicides, suicides and police shootings but also unintentional shootings, gun discharges, and incidents where someone brandishes a weapon.
—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2025
The Pandemic's Unexpected Lesson The widespread shift to remote learning during the 2020 pandemic, Viney explained, provided an unprecedented, albeit unintentional, experiment in alternative education.
—Dan Fitzpatrick, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
The phones simultaneously reflecting the sun rising behind Moreno on stage created an additional unintentional effect.
—Courtney Devores, Charlotte Observer, 26 Mar. 2025
Each earpiece also has press controls that prevent the unintentional triggering often experienced with touch controls.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unintentional
N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2025
The Pandemic's Unexpected Lesson The widespread shift to remote learning during the 2020 pandemic, Viney explained, provided an unprecedented, albeit unintentional, experiment in alternative education.
—Dan Fitzpatrick, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
The phones simultaneously reflecting the sun rising behind Moreno on stage created an additional unintentional effect.
—Courtney Devores, Charlotte Observer, 26 Mar. 2025
Each earpiece also has press controls that prevent the unintentional triggering often experienced with touch controls.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unintentional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unintentional
Adjective
-
The coroner’s office ruled the deaths accidental due to blunt force trauma.—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2025
-
In another show, with a lesser writer, such incongruities could be read as character inconsistencies, accidental oversights, mistakes.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Few inspire spontaneous ovations in public places, like the one U.S. Rep. John Larson received last month at Bradley airport.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
5 Apr. 2025
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The Women’s March was highly organized and concentrated, while the protests in June 2020 were largely spontaneous and spread out.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But Speaker Mike Johnson and others in the Republican Party appear unwilling to challenge the executive’s expanding use of trade authorities granted to it by Congress, even as the scope and complexity of these tariffs risk spiraling far beyond the federal government’s ability to execute on them.—
Dewardric L. McNeal,
CNBC,
6 Apr. 2025
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Even when Putin leaves Russia, many countries are unwilling to arrest him.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
This undemocratic system is an unintended consequence of Colorado imposing term limits in the 1990s.—
Bob Marshall,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2025
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The bottom line: Harm-reduction advocates say the unintended consequence of the state scheduling of xylazine is that the local drug supply becomes even more unpredictable.—
Isaac Avilucea,
Axios,
3 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unintentional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unintentional. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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