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
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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
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That authorization was broad and encompassed Gastineau’s name and likeness as reflected in extrinsic footage, such as that of the encounter with Favre.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
An irrelevant incident in isolation.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
That made Legacy a business success well before its actual launch and ensured that any subsequent long-term player interest would be at least somewhat financially irrelevant to the companies involved.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
According to Wolcott Animal Control, the dog displayed no obvious signs of trauma such as being hit by car, broken bones, gun shot wounds or other external injuries.—
Kellie Love,
Hartford Courant,
24 Apr. 2026
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In a way, Tim Cook's superpower was always taking the innovation in Cupertino and orchestrating the external forces to bring it to life, through perfecting the supply chain and designing supplier relationships as chief operating officer, and eventually practicing international diplomacy as CEO.—
Kai Nicol-Schwarz,
CNBC,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
On Friday, after learning in the trial’s punishment phase of Jaquan Wright’s involvement in the Fields homicide, which prosecutors presented to the jury as an extraneous offense, the jury assessed his punishment at two life prison terms.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Apr. 2026
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Leave the blind at home and go as light as possible, so your extraneous gear won’t get caught up in the brush and make a racket.—
Alex Robinson,
Outdoor Life,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The second episode of Euphoria’s third season finds Rue basking in the glow of God’s favor and settling into her new life working for the strip-club proprietor Alamo (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), who tasks her with scooping pig slop and covering up evidence of a dancer’s accidental overdose.—
Zoe Papelis,
Vulture,
22 Apr. 2026
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Photographer Hoda Afshar recalls the image as something almost accidental.—
Adam Pourahmadi,
CNN Money,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
There are scenes in the play where Ramos and Bradford operate a pair of space alien puppets, but to say more would spoil the play’s final twists.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
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Margo writes scripts, plans costumes and makeup, blocks scenes, and dreams up plot arcs for her erotic-alien alter ego.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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At one point, my friend was added to a WeChat group that included nearly five hundred foreign actors, many of whom were sharing casting calls to make sure they weren’t being scammed.—
Chang Che,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
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Policymakers, especially here in Tokyo, would be wise to accept more foreign workers to plug labor gaps, but that’s not a durable answer on its own.—
Catherine Thorbecke,
Twin Cities,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adventitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adventitious. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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