intentionally

[in-ten-shuh-nl-ee]

adverb

1. on purpose; with conscious intent.

   Intentionally weakening standards is shortsighted and unethical to the extreme.

   The hives are constructed out of a light-colored wood finished in a color intentionally reminiscent of honey.

2. with deliberate consciousness or focus.

   Our hope is that people with opposing points of view will engage intentionally over coffee, or better yet, a meal together.

Other Word Forms

• subintentionally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of intentionally¹

intentional ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Cruz was held in police custody for five hours last month after three women accused the actor of intentionally spraying them with water while washing his car in front of his Silver Lake home.

From Los Angeles Times

Prior to that, it accused the Israeli military of "intentionally damaging ship communications, in an attempt to block distress signals and stop the livestream of their illegal boat boarding".

From BBC

This would annoy me if I didn’t trust Chang did this intentionally as part of her goal to tell atypical immigrant stories.

From Los Angeles Times

"And even if James Comey got things wrong, that doesn't mean that he knowingly or intentionally lied to Congress. So proving that is going to be the heart of the case."

From BBC

"If someone at the UN intentionally stopped the escalator as the President and First Lady were stepping on, they need to be fired and investigated immediately," she wrote on X after the incident.

From BBC

Related Words

• deliberately 
• willfully