ADVENTITIOUS Synonyms: 29 Similar and Opposite Words

adventitious

adjective

ˌad-(ˌ)ven-ˈti-shəs

Definition of adventitious

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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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 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

Educational psychology provides a useful framework for understanding this phenomenon through the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

— Jason Benedict, Fortune, 7 July 2026
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

Definition of extrinsic

Adjective

The idea is to learn the structure that matters for prediction and planning without spending huge amounts of compute modeling irrelevant visual detail.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 13 July 2026
Paramount had argued that the requests were irrelevant to the antitrust issues the state is investigating.

— Gene Maddaus, Variety, 11 July 2026

Definition of irrelevant

Adjective

The shim also embeds the policy so enforcement doesn’t rely exclusively on the external variable.

— Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 14 July 2026
Monday’s meeting also underscored the government’s determination to continue restructuring Venezuela’s massive external debt despite the disaster.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 14 July 2026

Definition of external

Adjective

Since these plants stop growing at a certain point (usually before 4 feet), all of their energy is directed into producing more leaves, blooms, and fruit, not extraneous stems or suckers.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 4 July 2026
Still, Copilot is going through a reset, with Andreou eliminating extraneous versions of the AI tool and merging the teams that focused on consumer and enterprise versions of the product.

— Sebastian Herrera, Fortune, 27 June 2026

Definition of extraneous

Adjective

Fire officials deemed the fire accidental after determining that the family dog, Bo, jumped onto the kitchen counter and turned on the toaster, which ignited nearby combustibles.

— Adam Thompson, CBS News, 14 July 2026
Its lightweight, compliant structure makes accidental contact with people, pets and furniture far safer than conventional drones.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 13 July 2026

Definition of accidental

Adjective

Grodd had psychic powers and other skills after his encounter with an alien spaceship.

— Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 8 July 2026
Iron Man discovers that shapeshifting alien Skrulls have infiltrated important organizations and operations all across the world for unknown reasons that are probably not great for mankind.

— Brian Truitt, USA Today, 8 July 2026

Definition of alien

Adjective

Immigration raids and wildfires dissuaded tourists from visiting, and even Canadian tourists who typically make up the largest number of foreign visitors to California dropped 21%.

— Lily Wright, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
Civic groups in Eswatini have also taken authorities to court to challenge the legality of holding foreign nationals in prison without charge.

— ABC News, ABC News, 9 July 2026

Definition of foreign

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“Adventitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adventitious. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of adventitious

adjective

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