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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
-
Happiness means pursuing intrinsic rather than extrinsic goals One of the biggest lies that Old Happy tells us, Harrison explains, is that the pursuit of extrinsic goals and external approval — popularity, conformity, financial success, aesthetic beauty — is the key to happiness.—
Nina Zipkin,
CNBC,
2 Mar. 2026
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Psychologists distinguish between intrinsic motivation (behaviors driven by internal satisfaction and personal values) and extrinsic motivation (behaviors driven by external rewards, recognition or pressure).—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
12 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Yet some in Iran say the supreme leader as irrelevant.—
Ramin Mostaghim,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The invention of electricity made menial jobs like the lamplighter, the elevator operator, and the knocker-up, the human equivalent to the modern alarm clock, irrelevant.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Atomic-scale materials Modern processors suffer from internal fevers as billions of transistors generate heat that impacts performance and external sensors struggle to measure accurately.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Pedro Pardo | Afp | Getty Images China has set its lowest growth target in decades, acknowledging domestic challenges and pointing to global uncertainty, while keeping some stimulus measures in place to counter a possible ramp up in external shocks.—
Anniek Bao,Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Each has been given extraneous dramatic business, perhaps to balance the scales with Oliver and Ciara, and to underscore that this is a show about two sets of couples, their trust issues and their need for one another.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
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Others see them as extraneous measures for pet projects that balloon congressional spending.—
Lisa Hagen,
Hartford Courant,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
That emphasis on independence is not accidental.—
K. H. Koehler,
USA Today,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Bud can’t make a joke to his daughters without accidental gender essentialism.—
Malavika Kannan,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Sarah Sherman comes out, asking about their big alien dance number*.—
Andy Hoglund,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Gosling asks the cast members, who are dressed in a variety of silvery alien garb.—
Pat Saperstein,
Variety,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The Financial Times, citing an unnamed Gulf official, reported that a rethink could impact anything from investment pledges to foreign states to contracts with businesses.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
6 Mar. 2026
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Police listed multiple flags to watch out for, including Irish and British accents, saying many of the members are part of international rings of foreign nationals using fake business names.—
Tim Fang,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adventitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adventitious. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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