as in carelessness
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Recent Examples of inadvertence
As for inventions, accident and inadvertence played a role in the development of Post-it Notes and microwave heating.
—
Amanda Foreman, WSJ, 4 May 2018
The history of the game proceeded through intelligence, but also through inadvertence.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2017
Amanda Foreman, WSJ, 4 May 2018
The history of the game proceeded through intelligence, but also through inadvertence.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inadvertence
Noun
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But the turnovers that are born of carelessness?—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
11 Jan. 2026
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Straight-up errors, like the errant pass from James Tarkowski that led to Brentford’s opener, or Tim Iroegbunam’s carelessness before their third, have not been common flaws.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Again, what is lost is inadvertency and the element of surprise — the sense that the power of the image is independent of the photographer’s plans.—
TEJU COLE,
New York Times,
18 Oct. 2016
Noun
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The heedlessness of the children has touched her mood.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Yet what scans as authorial laxity here is elsewhere integral to the novel’s charm.—
Hannah Gold,
New Yorker,
21 Jan. 2026
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Throughout the year, her focus is on strengthening the skin barrier, balancing, and treating specific concerns like pigmentation, acne, or laxity through a combination of clinical treatments and precise at-home routines.—
Pooja Shah,
Forbes.com,
16 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inadvertence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inadvertence. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026.
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