inadvertence

noun

Definition of inadvertencenext
as in carelessness

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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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inadvertence
  1. carelessness
  2. inadvertency
  3. heedlessness
  4. laxity
Noun
  • Some of those losses stemmed from carelessness, with his supreme confidence occasionally straying into casualness.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 22 July 2026
  • Once, administrators confronted him about the carelessness of his grading.
    — Peter Hessler, New Yorker, 31 May 2026
Definition of carelessness
Noun
  • 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
Definition of inadvertency
Noun
  • Holden’s moral rigor is refreshing in a cultural moment marked by an unsettling mix of cynicism and heedlessness.
    — Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026
  • The heedlessness of the children has touched her mood.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
Definition of heedlessness
Noun
  • The facial fat pads that create fullness in the cheeks and temples sometimes shrink faster than skin can retract, producing a characteristic hollowing and laxity.
    — Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • What’s more, there’s also vitamin C and glutathione for antioxidant protection, and peptides to address skin’s laxity.
    — Audrey Noble, Vogue, 27 July 2026
Definition of laxity

Browse Nearby Words

in advance of
inadvertence
inadvertency
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Cite this Entry

“Inadvertence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inadvertence. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

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