inadvertence

[in-uh d-vur-tns]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR inadvertence ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the quality or condition of being inadvertent; heedlessness.

the act or effect of inattention; an oversight.

Origin of inadvertence

From the Medieval Latin word inadvertentia, dating back to 1560–70. See inadvertency, -ence

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for inadvertence

indifference, omission, oversight

Examples from the Web for inadvertence

Historical Examples of inadvertence

Say it was a mistake on your part,—an inadvertence,—and done without my knowledge.
Roland Cashel
Charles James Lever
This word escaped Schomberg by inadvertence at which he became frightened.
Victory
Joseph Conrad
I had, in a moment of inadvertence, created for myself a tie.
Victory
Joseph Conrad
Here, again, we have to regret and remark the inadvertence of youth.
The Paris Sketch Book of Mr. M. A. Titmarsh
William Makepeace Thackeray
The least inadvertence may rob us of the public favor so hard to be acquired.
The Loyalist
James Francis Barrett

British Dictionary definitions for inadvertence

inadvertence

inadvertency

noun

lack of attention; heedlessness

an instance or an effect of being inadvertent; oversight; slip

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for inadvertence

mid-15c., from Middle French inadvertance (14c.), from Scholastic Latin inadvertentia, from in- "not" (see in- (1)) + advertentia, from Latin advertere "to direct one's attention to," literally "to turn toward" (see advertise).