as in accidentally
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Recent Examples of inadvertently
Though Garfield is attending the RNC reluctantly to give a speech in support of his friend, Congressman James Blaine (Bradley Whitford), for the presidency, his rousing oration inadvertently earns him the nomination.
—
Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025
Historically, local shrimp fishers accidentally caught the small porpoises in gill nets, inadvertently killing them.
—Ryan Green, Scientific American, 6 Nov. 2025
The bird might fly to a nearby forest or park, excrete the seeds, and inadvertently cause an invasive infestation.
—Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 5 Nov. 2025
Parise and her daughter are among a growing number of people who say they have inadvertently been exposed to chemical agents or witnessed troubling scenes by immigration agents.
—Natasha Korecki, NBC news, 5 Nov. 2025
As a covey of quail was flushed from a field, Whittington inadvertently got too close and failed to announce his presence.
—Joey Garrison, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
Three minutes later, SDFC goalkeeper CJ dos Santos made a sliding stop on the near side of the goal to stop another Timbers threat, but appeared to get kicked in the head inadvertently by Timbers forward Kevin Kelsy.
—Austin White, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Nov. 2025
Has sports inadvertently stumbled into an engagement strategy utilized intentionally by Hollywood and streaming services?
—Scott Soshnick, Sportico.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Poking around in Krabs’ stash of seafaring collectibles, SpongeBob and Patrick inadvertently summon the Flying Dutchman, who promises to help SpongeBob complete his swashbuckling checklist.
—Justin Lowe, HollywoodReporter, 28 Oct. 2025
Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025
Historically, local shrimp fishers accidentally caught the small porpoises in gill nets, inadvertently killing them.
—Ryan Green, Scientific American, 6 Nov. 2025
The bird might fly to a nearby forest or park, excrete the seeds, and inadvertently cause an invasive infestation.
—Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 5 Nov. 2025
Parise and her daughter are among a growing number of people who say they have inadvertently been exposed to chemical agents or witnessed troubling scenes by immigration agents.
—Natasha Korecki, NBC news, 5 Nov. 2025
As a covey of quail was flushed from a field, Whittington inadvertently got too close and failed to announce his presence.
—Joey Garrison, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
Three minutes later, SDFC goalkeeper CJ dos Santos made a sliding stop on the near side of the goal to stop another Timbers threat, but appeared to get kicked in the head inadvertently by Timbers forward Kevin Kelsy.
—Austin White, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Nov. 2025
Has sports inadvertently stumbled into an engagement strategy utilized intentionally by Hollywood and streaming services?
—Scott Soshnick, Sportico.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Poking around in Krabs’ stash of seafaring collectibles, SpongeBob and Patrick inadvertently summon the Flying Dutchman, who promises to help SpongeBob complete his swashbuckling checklist.
—Justin Lowe, HollywoodReporter, 28 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inadvertently
Adverb
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Teachers sent me home assuming that I was hit by a piece of stone accidentally from students playing nearby.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
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For example, in 1928, Scottish microbiologist Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin after examining the mold that had accidentally grown in one of his petri dishes.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
7 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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Bode will play Greta Mills, Ro’s smart, witty and ambitious research partner who unwittingly becomes entangled in the film’s violent conflict.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
7 Jan. 2026
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Well-meaning people who try to control another person’s grief may misunderstand that grief is a singular experience or may be unwittingly trying to assuage their own discomfort.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
30 Dec. 2025
Adverb
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Gutters and vents can also unintentionally guide mice inside.—
Katie Cloyd,
Martha Stewart,
10 Jan. 2026
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Therapists have long seen how the human drive to avoid pain can unintentionally strengthen it.—
Dr. Jesse Finkelstein,
Time,
9 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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That was a privilege to have that much time to process something, almost unconsciously but also consciously.—
Marcus Jones,
IndieWire,
6 Jan. 2026
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What art aims for consciously or unconsciously—that boundary between mystery and what can be known, between the hidden and what can be seen.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Dec. 2025
Adverb
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The following week – fortuitously a bye week for the Knights – Curtis had his first chemo treatment at the Mayo Clinic.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
15 Nov. 2025
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But their next drive started fortuitously, when Nix seemingly overthrew a receiver only for the ball to fall into the hands of an awaiting Marvin Mims for a 29-yard gain.—
Rohan Nadkarni,
NBC news,
20 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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As flawed generative AI tools continue to be used carelessly, without the necessary follow-up work of checking for hallucinations, experts warn that agencies like NWS could inflict serious damage to their reputation and authority.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
7 Jan. 2026
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Florida has a prohibition on carelessly carrying a gun.—
Romy Ellenbogen,
Miami Herald,
31 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inadvertently.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inadvertently. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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