inadvertent

in·ad·ver·tent

adjective \-t^ənt\

Definition of INADVERTENT

1

: not focusing the mind on a matter : inattentive

2

: unintentional <an inadvertent omission>

— in·ad·ver·tent·ly adverb

Examples of INADVERTENT

1. <an inadvertent encounter with a rattlesnake in the brush>

Origin of INADVERTENT

back-formation from inadvertence

First Known Use: 1653

Related to INADVERTENT

Synonyms

casual, chance, fluky (also flukey), fortuitous, accidental, incidental, unintended, unintentional, unplanned, unpremeditated, unwitting

Antonyms

calculated, deliberate, intended, intentional, planned, premeditated, premeditative, prepense, set

Related Words

coincidental; freak, odd; aimless, arbitrary, desultory, haphazard, random; uncertain, unexpected, unforeseeable, unforeseen; coerced, forced, involuntary; unconscious, unprompted

Near Antonyms

certain, destined, expected, fixed, foreordained, foreseeable, foreseen, inevitable, predestined, predetermined, predictable, preordained, prescribed, sure; conscious, freewill, knowing, unforced, voluntary, volunteer, willful (or wilful)