unintentional

adjective

un·​in·​ten·​tion·​al
ˌən-in-ˈten(t)-sh(ə-)nəl
 How to pronounce unintentional (audio)
: not done by intention or design : not intentional
an unintentional effect
causing unintentional harm/offense
unintentionally adverb
an unintentionally offensive remark

Examples of unintentional in a Sentence

an unintentional encounter with an old classmate at the mall an unintentional insult that nevertheless was very hurtful
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
He was fired and later convicted on second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges. Michael Saponara, Billboard, 15 Aug. 2025 Bookshelves are often too short or narrow, and keeping them on the ground often leads to unintentional scratches, warping, and dust build-up. Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 9 Aug. 2025 Moshe explained that the Axis software grants its own device manager complete control over your fleet of cameras, and that can lead to problems (and unintentional access to other people's cameras, too). PC Magazine, 8 Aug. 2025 Granting broad user access to cloud services increases the likelihood of unintentional resource overprovisioning or resources being abandoned after usage, which can result in runaway costs. Rakshana Balakrishnan, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unintentional

Word History

First Known Use

1782, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unintentional was in 1782

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Cite this Entry

“Unintentional.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unintentional. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on unintentional

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