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
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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
-
Early longevity studies analyzed groups of people who were born in a time of widespread extrinsic mortality.—
Cody Cottier,
Scientific American,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Although both are important in their own right, research from Personality and Individual Differences demonstrates that when people begin depending on extrinsic motivations like external feedback to gauge their success, their anxiety increases.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
That's almost irrelevant, though, LaFrance adds.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
13 Feb. 2026
-
An education is practically irrelevant.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
To reliably run all three external screens, a 45-W USB-C power adapter is recommended – this can also be from a 45-W+ power bank to make the setup truly mobile.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
13 Feb. 2026
-
My commitment has always been to administering justice in a manner that promotes accountability, respects victims, supports the integrity of our legal institutions, and reinforces public confidence that the courts are a stabilizing force — regardless of political climate or external pressure.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Others see them as extraneous measures for pet projects that balloon congressional spending.—
Lisa Hagen,
Hartford Courant,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Individuals are much more price-sensitive and willing to forgo extraneous expenses when spending their own money.—
Chris Pope,
Washington Post,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
These pressures are not accidental.—
Steve Hershey,
Baltimore Sun,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Why This Moment Matters The timing of this shift isn’t accidental.—
Kelly Ehlers,
Rolling Stone,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Their chemistry is wonderfully mythic, almost alien.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
-
When a production crew arrives to film an alien invasion movie on the crumbling backlot, the janitor decides to vanish alongside the studio itself.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Unlike in previous crises, Cuba’s regime lacks foreign partners that can step in to help, according to Robert Munks, head of Americas research at risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The center said most of the suspects were Syrian or Iraqi, though there were other foreign nationals from Europe as well as Australia, Canada and the United States, among other countries.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adventitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adventitious. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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