as in extrinsic
not being a vital part of or belonging to something
the point of view that art should be for art's sake and that moral considerations are adventitious to the study of art
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Recent Examples of adventitious
Although individual plants have a lifespan of 30-90 years, adventitious shoots grow up from roots.
—
Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 5 July 2025
The patchy and adventitious quality of Jameson’s reconstruction must make clear his difference as a thinker.
—Mark Greif, Harper's Magazine, 26 July 2024
The cut appears to have been high enough that the stump should still have enough adventitious buds to regrow.
—Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 3 Oct. 2023
Plant Deep — Really Deep Tomatoes have the ability to produce roots off their stems, known as adventitious roots.
—Margaret Roach, New York Times, 12 May 2020
This can also occur when trees are planted too deep, as adventitious (growing sideways from the stem) roots grow against the stem and squeeze the sapwood.
—Rebecca Jepsen, The Mercury News, 28 Aug. 2019
Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 5 July 2025
The patchy and adventitious quality of Jameson’s reconstruction must make clear his difference as a thinker.
—Mark Greif, Harper's Magazine, 26 July 2024
The cut appears to have been high enough that the stump should still have enough adventitious buds to regrow.
—Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 3 Oct. 2023
Plant Deep — Really Deep Tomatoes have the ability to produce roots off their stems, known as adventitious roots.
—Margaret Roach, New York Times, 12 May 2020
This can also occur when trees are planted too deep, as adventitious (growing sideways from the stem) roots grow against the stem and squeeze the sapwood.
—Rebecca Jepsen, The Mercury News, 28 Aug. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adventitious
Adjective
-
Common in the Ninth Circuit, the extrinsic test looks at comparison, context and, in a case like this, specific plot elements.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
3 Jan. 2026
-
Nonetheless, too many workplaces are organized around extrinsic rewards such as money, titles, team size, and proximity to power, which can spark effort in the short run but rarely sustain it.—
Jon Rosemberg,
Fortune,
9 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Sure, pundits and Twitter philosophers love to portray bowl games as irrelevant relics of the past that nobody cares about anymore.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The characters are lying, to themselves and to each other, but the role of the audience in believing or not believing their lies is totally irrelevant.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Bidding and construction began in November So far, the building’s external structure is complete, with the installation of mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems ongoing.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Díaz-Canel was quick to reject external interference in Cuba’s affairs.—
Michael Rios,
CNN Money,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Since both of those earlier years were influenced by a strong El Niño event, this one will have the dubious distinction of being the hottest without such an extraneous force.—
Bill McKibben,
New Yorker,
9 Dec. 2025
-
Tech and data aren’t extraneous.—
Maggie Johnson,
Fortune,
8 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Add an extra rinse cycle if using chlorine bleach to prevent accidental bleaching of fabrics.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
14 Jan. 2026
-
The actor's cause of death was later revealed to be an accidental overdose.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The researchers behind this study took a creative detour by looking at one of the most alien intelligences on Earth—honeybees.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Jan. 2026
-
In Pluribus, Seehorn plays Carol Sturka, a romance author who is one of only 13 people immune to an alien virus that turned billions of people into an eerily happy collective hive mind.—
Brian Anthony Hernandez,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The author emphasizes that this represents meaningful action, in contrast to years of unfulfilled political promises to address foreign competition.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Some foreign ports even refuse tankers with heavy crude.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adventitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adventitious. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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