as in accidental
happening by chance
an inadvertent encounter with a rattlesnake in the brush
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Recent Examples of inadvertent
In 141 breaches and inadvertent data releases between 2023 and 2025, the comptroller’s office found officials delayed reporting 48% of incidents to the New York State Education Department, and held up notifying families about 11% of the time.
—
Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 4 May 2026
In another incident drawn from Davidson’s real life, he’s brutally beaten by men with iron bars after one of his tics leads to an inadvertent comment made to a young woman.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 28 Apr. 2026
Providers also can fall victim to inadvertent bias, assuming a young, otherwise healthy patient must be dealing with something other than shingles.
—Alyssa Sparacino, Glamour, 27 Apr. 2026
Many states that accept late-arriving absentee ballots implemented their policies during the COVID-19 pandemic when vote by mail surged in popularity and Postal Service delays raised concerns about inadvertent disenfranchisement.
—Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inadvertent
Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 4 May 2026
In another incident drawn from Davidson’s real life, he’s brutally beaten by men with iron bars after one of his tics leads to an inadvertent comment made to a young woman.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 28 Apr. 2026
Providers also can fall victim to inadvertent bias, assuming a young, otherwise healthy patient must be dealing with something other than shingles.
—Alyssa Sparacino, Glamour, 27 Apr. 2026
Many states that accept late-arriving absentee ballots implemented their policies during the COVID-19 pandemic when vote by mail surged in popularity and Postal Service delays raised concerns about inadvertent disenfranchisement.
—Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inadvertent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inadvertent
accidental
Adjective
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The New York Times later confirmed that reporting through more anonymous US officials, including one official who said US military investigators were still evaluating whether the Iranian drone strike on the helicopter was intentional or accidental.—
Jeremy Hsu,
ArsTechnica,
10 June 2026
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The search warrant obtained by ABC News shows that federal agents were instructed to look for anything that would indicate violations of a law to prevent the accidental release of extremely hazardous substances into the air.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inadvertent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inadvertent. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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