Definition of adventitiousnext
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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Example Sentences

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.
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adventitious
Adjective
  • She was medically excused from the 2020 WNBA season held amid the COVID-19 pandemic due to extrinsic asthma, then returned to the league with the Washington Mystics in 2021.
    Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 7 May 2026
  • Anyone that wanted to reserve time in the July 19 final was beholden to a full-tourney pledge of as much as $30 million, although your mileage will vary based on any number of extrinsic variables.
    Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • That's nice, but also irrelevant if the debtor is not resident in one of those states (and maybe not even then).
    Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026
  • No one wants to think about being replaced; no one wants to feel irrelevant in their own lives.
    R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2026
Adjective
  • According to the home’s actual dimensions, the doorway (which didn’t exist when the family moved in) should dead-end to an external wall; instead, when Navidson opens the door, there’s a narrow hallway nearly ten feet long inside.
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 12 June 2026
  • Simplifi meets rigorous security certifications, such as SOC 2, which are part of a comprehensive external audit that assesses the security, confidentiality and privacy of a program’s data.
    Amy DeYoung, USA Today, 12 June 2026
Adjective
  • The length exacerbates all the rest of the series' sins, including a lack of emotional depth, gratuitous suffering and violence, long stretches of boring, listless plotting and extraneous characters.
    Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 4 June 2026
  • That rule bars provisions in bills that are deemed to be extraneous to federal spending or outside the jurisdiction of the committees that drafted them.
    Luke Fountain, CNBC, 3 June 2026
Adjective
  • The New York Times later confirmed that reporting through more anonymous US officials, including one official who said US military investigators were still evaluating whether the Iranian drone strike on the helicopter was intentional or accidental.
    Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 10 June 2026
  • The search warrant obtained by ABC News shows that federal agents were instructed to look for anything that would indicate violations of a law to prevent the accidental release of extremely hazardous substances into the air.
    Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 10 June 2026
Adjective
  • Studying these alien auroras helps researchers better understand planetary atmospheres and magnetic fields.
    Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 June 2026
  • There’s no conclusive evidence of alien life or government cover-ups.
    Collin Binkley, Fortune, 15 June 2026
Adjective
  • Minsch added that Switzerland’s reliance on highly qualified foreign workers, especially in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, technology and healthcare.
    Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 13 June 2026
  • The State Department has designated Tren de Aragua a foreign terrorist organization.
    Christian Martinez, USA Today, 13 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Adventitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adventitious. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.

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