inadvertently

[in-uhd-vur-tnt-lee]

adverb

1. unintentionally; without meaning to.

   I apologize to anyone I have inadvertently left off this list.

2. through lack of attention; without anyone noticing.

   There is the potential for one set of rules to inadvertently replace another.

Word History and Origins

Origin of inadvertently¹

inadvertent ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Sometimes, in the prosecution of a just war, Mr. Levin says, innocents are inadvertently killed.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The bottle is the trap philosophers inadvertently create for themselves by abstracting concepts such as “knowledge,” “being” and “object” from their ordinary usage and analyzing them as though each has some kind of independent essence.

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As Burry lived his life by e-mail, he inadvertently kept a record of the birth of a new market from the point of view of its first retail customer.

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Ironically, Norris also inadvertently contributed to Piastri's crash in the sprint.

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They recommended serious reforms to ensure Vantara does "not inadvertently become a driver of illegal harvest of wild animals".

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Related Words

• negligently www.thesaurus.com
• recklessly