Synonyms of unintentional

unintentional

adjective

ˌən-in-ˈten(t)-sh(ə-)nəl

1

as in accidental

happening by chance

an unintentional encounter with an old classmate at the mall

Synonyms & Similar Words

• accidental
• inadvertent
• unexpected
• chance
• unintended
• incidental
• unplanned
• fortuitous
• casual
• unwitting
• odd
• unpremeditated
• random
• arbitrary
• coincidental
• fluky
• haphazard
• unforeseen
• unforeseeable
• aimless
• uncertain
• unconscious
• involuntary
• freak
• desultory
• forced
• unprompted
• coerced

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• intentional
• deliberate
• intended
• premeditated
• planned
• calculated
• inevitable
• certain
• predictable
• sure
• foreseeable
• fixed
• destined
• foreseen
• set
• expected
• premeditative
• prescribed
• predetermined
• conscious
• prepense
• voluntary
• willful
• knowing
• unforced
• volunteer
• preordained
• predestined
• foreordained
• freewill

2

as in spontaneous

not made or done willingly or by choice

an unintentional insult that nevertheless was very hurtful

Synonyms & Similar Words

• accidental
• spontaneous
• unwilling
• unintended
• involuntary
• forced
• coerced
• automatic
• inadvertent
• impulsive
• will-less
• unplanned
• instinctive
• unpremeditated
• unconscious
• unwitting
• unprompted
• unknowing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• intentional
• deliberate
• voluntary
• willful
• willing
• conscious
• unforced
• purposeful
• uncoerced
• premeditated
• knowing
• planned
• considered
• advised
• volitional
• freewill
• premeditative
• prepense
• self-inflicted
• self-imposed

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of unintentional

But somewhere in the process, a misread signal or an unintentional breach of a norm that no term sheet mentioned created a rupture that the financial structure could not repair. — Amer Al Ahbabi, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026

Payment errors occur whenever households receive too much or too little in benefits, regardless of whether anyone intentionally broke the rules, and experts say such over- and under-payments are usually unintentional. — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 29 June 2026

Jordan got on the board first in the 36th minute, when Mousa Al-Taamari set up Nizar Al-Rashdan with a perfect false touch – which looked like an unintentional mishit – giving the latter a clean berth to slot home a spinning ball with the outside of his right foot. — Christian Babcock, Mercury News, 23 June 2026

The terrible accident happened this past January, leaving the album as an unintentional farewell from an artist who only recently re-emerged on a wider stage. — Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Pitchfork, 22 June 2026