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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Without ownership, documentation becomes a museum exhibit that may be informative but irrelevant.
    Raheel Sheikh, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
  • No detail, no matter how incomplete or far-fetched, was irrelevant to their search.
    Will Mackin, New Yorker, 28 June 2026
Adjective
  • If internal promotion rates fall and companies lean harder on external senior hires who do not yet exist in sufficient numbers, the warnings from Cortez, DDI, and Korn Ferry will have been correct.
    Cindy Rodriguez Constable, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • Meta is also working to cut its ballooning AI spending by reducing reliance on costly external tools.
    Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 30 June 2026
Adjective
  • Stripping out every extraneous expense, Vrotsos picked a start date and just began shooting.
    Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 19 June 2026
  • In my case, just about all of it appeared to be extraneous documentation, like incorporation paperwork for Sackler’s firm, which seemed irrelevant to the matter at hand.
    Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 12 June 2026
Adjective
  • Fire departments have also partnered with the APA to hand out buckets so consumer fireworks users can douse used fireworks, reducing the risk of accidental fires.
    Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 30 June 2026
  • While many may have had one as children, the inception of the toy was accidental.
    Angeline Jane Bernabe, ABC News, 29 June 2026
Adjective
  • By comparison, digital computers’ silicon substrates seem alien and unrelatable.
    Rob Toews, Forbes.com, 22 June 2026
  • But the mission’s goals outlined by the space agency—tasks such as scouting unexplored terrain, detecting stores of subsurface ice and monitoring atmospheric dust—are a far cry from the preexisting priority of Mars Sample Return and the associated search for alien life.
    Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 22 June 2026
Adjective
  • Earlier this month, Anthropic disabled customer access to both Mythos and Fable to comply with the US government’s order to suspend all use by foreign nationals — including Anthropic employees themselves.
    Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 27 June 2026
  • Rothrock said there is no specific type of offender, such as a foreign visitor unaware of American laws.
    Marvin Hurst, CBS News, 26 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Adventitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adventitious. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.

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