unintentionally

adverb

as in inadvertently

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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 unintentionally 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 Bycatch — marine life caught unintentionally while fishers target something else — makes up 2% of the pollock fishery’s total catch. — Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026 Gillis also drew some criticism for unintentionally saying the F-word during a sketch on SNL, and Gillis subsequently apologized. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026 But what if the Christmas card campaign unintentionally replicated a specific individual? — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026 Without proper controls, productivity gains can unintentionally drive disproportionate cost growth. — Sudipto Dasgupta, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026 For Farrar, now 38, unintentionally becoming the Nostradamus of a surreal and often very dumb political era has been a bizarre experience — haunting, even. — David MacK, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026 After internet access was made available unintentionally, the model hacked into multiple real firms. — Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 19 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unintentionally
  1. inadvertently
  2. accidentally
  3. unwittingly
  4. unconsciously
  5. fortuitously
  6. carelessly
  7. arbitrarily
  8. casually
Adverb
  • 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
Definition of inadvertently
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
  • 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
Adverb
  • At least 300 people remain arbitrarily detained, according to the human rights organization Foro Penal.
    — Helena Carpio, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026
  • And the math, in the case of Pike, is unstable, hinged somewhat arbitrarily on her birthday.
    — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of arbitrarily
Adverb
  • But there’s something widely appealing about speaking casually, broadly and vaguely in order to reduce friction.
    — John Hodgman, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2026
  • One such instance is when Adelaide casually drops the word that will send King fans into a frenzy.
    — Hunter Ingram, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of casually

Browse Nearby Words

unintentional
unintentionally
uninterested
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Cite this Entry

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

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