unintentional

[ uhn-in-ten-shuh-nl ]

adjective

1. not intentional or deliberate:

   an unintentional omission from the list.

   Synonyms: inadvertent, accidental

   Antonyms: planned, intentional

unintentional

/ ˌʌnɪnˈtɛnʃənəl /

adjective

1. not deliberate; accidental

   the killing had been unintentional

Derived Forms

• ˌuninˈtentionally, adverb

Other Words From

• un·in·ten·tion·al·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of unintentional¹

First recorded in 1775–85; un- ¹ + intentional

Example Sentences

The National Violent Death Reporting System analyzed data from 2003 to 2021 and found that the largest percentage of unintentional firearm deaths in the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times

In 2023, 810 people in San Francisco died from unintentional drug overdoses, according to the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

From Los Angeles Times

Of course not, but inherent gender bias — most of it likely unintentional — ensures less complex assessments of available data by those who squeeze narratives out of the numbers.

From Los Angeles Times

Farrell acknowledged the unintentional “oversight” and said he would correct his disclosure forms.

From Los Angeles Times

In his defence, Marinakis claimed that he had a hacking cough because he smokes two or three cigars a day and the incident was unintentional.

From BBC

Related Words

• accidental
• inadvertent
• involuntary
• random
• unexpected
• unforeseen
• unintended
• unplanned