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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in spontaneous
not made or done willingly or by choice
an unintentional insult that nevertheless was very hurtful
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unintentional
Data recorded during 2003-2021 by the CDC's National Violent Death Reporting System identified nearly 1,300 unintentional firearm injury deaths nationwide among children age 17 and younger.
—
Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 22 Sep. 2025
Despite the unintentional nature of the plunking, both benches were warned when Kemp began veering toward the mound after being hit.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 20 Sep. 2025
The plotline isn’t the most incisive on its face, but the suggestion that Bro must have a beating heart underneath all his bravado is a perhaps unintentional reflection of the media’s tendency to be so generous to white men like him.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
The microscope was an unintentional by-product of the VideoDisc technology the company had been struggling to bring to market since the mid-1960s.
—Allison Marsh, IEEE Spectrum, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unintentional
Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 22 Sep. 2025
Despite the unintentional nature of the plunking, both benches were warned when Kemp began veering toward the mound after being hit.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 20 Sep. 2025
The plotline isn’t the most incisive on its face, but the suggestion that Bro must have a beating heart underneath all his bravado is a perhaps unintentional reflection of the media’s tendency to be so generous to white men like him.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
The microscope was an unintentional by-product of the VideoDisc technology the company had been struggling to bring to market since the mid-1960s.
—Allison Marsh, IEEE Spectrum, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unintentional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unintentional
Adjective
-
On sale for $14, this hanging toiletry bag is big enough to hold all of your skincare, haircare, and makeup essentials while protecting your clothes from accidental spills.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Oct. 2025
-
The three victims' deaths were ruled accidental, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Weekday dinners, spontaneous hikes and running downhill with their dogs are all part of the routine.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
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Our results suggest that children are actually capable of spontaneous logical strategy discovery much earlier when circumstances require it.—
Celeste Kidd,
The Conversation,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The film has included the more sensitive images of the anti-lockdown protests, but seems unwilling or incapable to confront what happened next.—
Yangyang Cheng,
NPR,
4 Oct. 2025
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Several of the group’s top political officials were said to have supported the deal while its militants inside Gaza were unwilling to lay down their arms.—
Ruth Margalit,
New Yorker,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The players wanted to address those unintended consequences.—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
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One-size-fits-all reform will create unintended consequences.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unintentional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unintentional. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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