inadvertently

adverb

as in accidentally

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 inadvertently This leads to River commandeering a woman’s car and inadvertently gaining a partner in her dog Monty, who doesn’t figure into the action but is most assuredly a Very Good Boy. — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026 Executives who remain tethered to routine reporting or data validation could inadvertently create an organizational bottleneck. — Alexandra J. Zanela, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026 Giulia eventually entered through the back door, inadvertently bypassing the cameras Conor had set up to capture her reaction. — Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 12 Oct. 2026 Once discarded, these traps also inadvertently capture birds and other wildlife. — Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 8 Oct. 2026 However, Harvey said, such a demotion must be carefully implemented so as not to inadvertently punish Championship League teams investing the right way in the hopes of making the top flight. — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 7 Oct. 2026 Duviel was supposed to be in the van with his father but because of appendicitis was not, inadvertently saving his life. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026 Digger follows greedy, careless Digger as his company inadvertently catalyzes a disaster with global repercussions—then, whoopsie, sets off another for good measure. — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 29 Sep. 2026 By acquitting Fisher, the council members had inadvertently exonerated Metze. — Benjamin Wofford, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inadvertently
  1. accidentally
  2. unwittingly
  3. unintentionally
  4. unconsciously
  5. fortuitously
  6. carelessly
Adverb
  • Diggory and Polly are transported to Narnia from London after accidentally misusing magic rings owned by Diggory’s Uncle Andrew, played by Daniel Craig.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026
  • At the time, Affleck allowed Samuel, then 10, to sit in the driver's seat of a bright yellow Lamborghini SUV before the boy accidentally put the car into reverse and backed into a white BMW.
    — Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of accidentally
Adverb
  • The series centers on Yun Hwa, a trainee painter who unwittingly releases a stranger trapped inside a painting for half a century.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Artists unwittingly contribute to the nation’s unaffordability crisis.
    — Luisa Yanez October 2, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of unwittingly
Adverb
  • The advisory warns that violating Saudi laws, even unintentionally, can carry serious consequences.
    — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
  • As for the crack, well, that happened by accident when heavy equipment punched through a concrete wall and unintentionally punctured the sphere, company officials told The Mountaineer.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of unintentionally
Adverb
  • There’s also evidence that some mimicry happens unconsciously.
    — Alesandra Dubin, Glamour, 17 Sep. 2026
  • In contrast to things neurotypical people do unconsciously, like twisting a strand of hair, autistic people’s stims can be dramatic, such as pacing or rocking.
    — Beth Hawkins, Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of unconsciously
Adverb
  • And, fortuitously for would-be sponsors, something happened in tennis that made these arrangements even more appealing.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The earnings announcement was fortuitously timed, coming just as reports were surfacing of high-level OpenAI employees joining the company.
    — Jordan Novet, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of fortuitously
Adverb
  • Jasson Domínguez, still a liability on defense, carelessly let a leadoff single bounce past him and roll to the wall in right for a two-base error, but Cole managed to strand the runner at third and logged a scoreless frame.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Omar Alderete, O’Nien’s second-half replacement, carelessly did the same thing for the late winner.
    — Stuart James, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of carelessly

Browse Nearby Words

inadvertent
inadvertently
inadvisability
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Inadvertently.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inadvertently. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All