inadvertent
Americanadjective
-
unintentional.
an inadvertent insult.
-
not attentive; heedless.
- Synonyms:
- inattentive
-
of, relating to, or characterized by lack of attention.
- Synonyms:
- negligent, careless, thoughtless
adjective
-
failing to act carefully or considerately; inattentive
-
resulting from heedless action; unintentional
Other Word Forms
- inadvertently adverb
Etymology
Origin of inadvertent
First recorded in 1645–55; abstracted from inadvertence, inadvertency
Explanation
When something happens by accident, it's inadvertent, or unintentional. The gas company assured you that the error in your bill was inadvertent and that they would fix it, but not before you blew off some steam. If you break down the adjective inadvertent you find the word vert, from the Latin vertere, meaning "to turn." Advertent comes to mean "turning the mind to," and as the prefix in- means "not," inadvertent means “not turning the mind to,” or "not intending to." When your actions are inadvertent you're not paying attention to their consequences. Remember that inadvertent ends with -ent by remembering this sentence: “We inadvertently ripped the tent.”
Vocabulary lists containing inadvertent
Things Fall Apart
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
This Week in Words: April 20–26, 2019
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Commonly Misspelled Words, List 2
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Without that review and without apolitical, objective, honest brokers involved in the process, there is a much greater risk for intentional manipulation or inadvertent interference,” Keller said.
From Salon • Apr. 14, 2026
That way if my husband inadvertently saw my conversation history in my sidebar, there would be no inadvertent spoiler.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026
At a previous High Court hearing, lawyers for Matt Goodwin and his election agent Adam Rawlinson acknowledged some election leaflets had failed to include a "statutory imprint", something which constituted "inadvertent illegal practice".
From BBC • Feb. 25, 2026
Commissioner Rasha Gerges Shields said it lacked guardrails against the inadvertent deletion of pertinent records.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 29, 2026
Surely the similarities were inadvertent, he suggested, since Jackson was obviously a virtuous man and thus incapable of plagiarism.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
