as in inadvertently
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Recent Examples of unintentionally
Some city policies may unintentionally put some of this pressure on residents through fines and similar actions, according to Guzman.
—
R. Christian Smith, Chicago Tribune, 22 Feb. 2026
Parents may go to great lengths to remove obstacles from their child’s path, unintentionally hindering the development of life skills1.
—Jazmin Towe, Parents, 22 Feb. 2026
Rankings influence many disciplines and can mutate values as well as goals, leading academics to such unscholarly behaviors as plagiarizing others’ work, unintentionally manipulating data, or outright falsifying it.
—Big Think, 20 Feb. 2026
Overly broad definitions could unintentionally sweep up legitimate electric bicycles or stifle innovation in a sector that has helped expand mobility options across urban and rural communities alike.
—New Atlas, 20 Feb. 2026
On Thursday, the Police Department issued a press release saying that the preliminary investigation indicated that while attempting to apprehend a suspect, a police sergeant unintentionally discharged his weapon after he was bitten by a K-9.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 20 Feb. 2026
Many were for children and teens who unintentionally ate edibles, including some modeled after Hershey Bars and Sour Patch Kids, the center said.
—Gina Lee Castro, jsonline.com, 19 Feb. 2026
Shiffrin fed the machine unintentionally, talking boldly about eyeing five golds at the next Olympics in PyeongChang.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 18 Feb. 2026
Even though her black wedding gown unintentionally started a forever style trend for brides wanting something a little less conventional, Parker doesn't necessarily stand by her choice.
—Elle Meier, InStyle, 16 Feb. 2026
R. Christian Smith, Chicago Tribune, 22 Feb. 2026
Parents may go to great lengths to remove obstacles from their child’s path, unintentionally hindering the development of life skills1.
—Jazmin Towe, Parents, 22 Feb. 2026
Rankings influence many disciplines and can mutate values as well as goals, leading academics to such unscholarly behaviors as plagiarizing others’ work, unintentionally manipulating data, or outright falsifying it.
—Big Think, 20 Feb. 2026
Overly broad definitions could unintentionally sweep up legitimate electric bicycles or stifle innovation in a sector that has helped expand mobility options across urban and rural communities alike.
—New Atlas, 20 Feb. 2026
On Thursday, the Police Department issued a press release saying that the preliminary investigation indicated that while attempting to apprehend a suspect, a police sergeant unintentionally discharged his weapon after he was bitten by a K-9.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 20 Feb. 2026
Many were for children and teens who unintentionally ate edibles, including some modeled after Hershey Bars and Sour Patch Kids, the center said.
—Gina Lee Castro, jsonline.com, 19 Feb. 2026
Shiffrin fed the machine unintentionally, talking boldly about eyeing five golds at the next Olympics in PyeongChang.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 18 Feb. 2026
Even though her black wedding gown unintentionally started a forever style trend for brides wanting something a little less conventional, Parker doesn't necessarily stand by her choice.
—Elle Meier, InStyle, 16 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unintentionally
Adverb
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Additionally, due to its nitrogen content, CGM acts as a fertilizer, which can inadvertently promote the growth of existing weeds.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
20 Feb. 2026
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The nearly 19-pound largemouth is big enough to qualify as a record, but a strange state law that Thao inadvertently broke while transporting and weighing the fish could get in the way of that achievement.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
18 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Also, for the data to be readable across centuries, every single person or robot who ever handles the glass must avoid accidentally losing it or mistaking it for part of a futuristic domino set.—
Damien Pine,
Scientific American,
19 Feb. 2026
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Hours earlier in Gwinnett County, officials say a 4-year-old boy found a gun in a truck and accidentally fired the weapon, hitting himself in the finger.—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
19 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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While Levin and his organization may have unwittingly become part of the story, his advice to continue using TMZ as a conduit for communication with authorities further centered the media’s role — not just in reporting the case, but directly influencing law enforcement’s investigation.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
21 Feb. 2026
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What emerges is a portrait of Interlochen as an institution that celebrated openness, but that in accepting Epstein's financial support became unwittingly associated with his crimes.—
Ava Berger,
NPR,
19 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Screen or email apnea happens when someone unconsciously holds their breath or breathes more shallowly while looking at their screen to answer emails or texts, explained Dora Kamau, lead mindfulness and meditation teacher at Headspace.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
23 Feb. 2026
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Any direct influence probably came out unconsciously.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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The margins between top teams have shrunk, intangibles such as fit, culture and identity are more impactful than ever and the number of teams that can aspire to win a national championship seems to have expanded, fortuitously, along with the CFP.—
Ralph D. Russo,
New York Times,
8 Jan. 2026
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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
Adverb
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Although your emotions on a contentious subject need to be heard and processed by you, airing them carelessly to others might inflame the drama further.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
19 Feb. 2026
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Journalists and pundits tend to throw around plaudits a little too carelessly these days.—
Melinda Newman,
Billboard,
10 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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That standard would uphold the NCAA’s interpretation of the waiver rule so long as the NCAA didn’t act arbitrarily or capriciously, either of which is difficult to show.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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There are questions about the rights of citizens versus non-citizens, the rights of the US to pull visas arbitrarily.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
16 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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With perfect timing, Broderick shows up, casually scratching his ear.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
24 Feb. 2026
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That’s not something to fade casually.—
Josh Brown,Sean Russo,
CNBC,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unintentionally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unintentionally. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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