UNINTENTIONALLY Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

unintentionally

adverb

as in inadvertently

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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 Andrews, the Senate’s first female physician and first pediatrician, credits her stance on gun control to her experience treating children who have unintentionally shot themselves after finding an unsecured firearm. — Gabrielle M. Etzel, The Washington Examiner, 8 Nov. 2026 Because segregation had historically excluded Black veterans from those areas, the practice could unintentionally perpetuate the very divisions that once determined where they were allowed to be buried. — Sarah M. Boye, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Nov. 2026 However, some of the ballot language in Measure G unintentionally repealed Measure J — an administrative error that was discovered in June 2025. — Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026 There are so many organizations working to protect the voting process -- including many that cannot legally coordinate with each other -- that some officials involved worry about unintentionally creating chaos outside polling locations. — Steve Peoples, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026 Seniors who fell asleep unintentionally had a 39% higher risk, while shorter naps were also linked to poorer outcomes. — Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026 Portion them ahead of time to avoid unintentionally eating more than intended. — Anna Giorgi, Verywell Health, 21 Oct. 2026 The Fresh Prince comment referred, unintentionally or not, to the infamous 2022 Oscar-night moment when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock across the face after the latter made a joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2026 Transformation scenes can be unintentionally laughable, and no one has fully figured out how to make a wolf-human hybrid look less like a fall-season impulse buy at Home Depot and more like a terrifically terrifying beast. — Eve Batey, Vanity Fair, 16 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unintentionally

Adverb

But upon arrival, they inadvertently got mixed in with a busload of draftees arriving for their inductions.

— Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2026
Since intoxicating hemp was inadvertently legalized in the 2018 federal Farm Bill, smoke shops, convenience stores, and gas stations have sold it without restrictions.

— Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 10 Nov. 2026

Definition of inadvertently

Adverb

Written and directed by Sun Aoqian, the film stars Song Jia as a weary crematorium worker who accidentally mixes up two sets of funeral ashes.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Nov. 2026
But a space maneuver accidentally exposed one of its batteries to the sun, and the spacecraft lost power.

— Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of accidentally

Adverb

Another reveals a family trait or behavior that was unwittingly passed from generation to generation.

— Gary Barron, Chicago Tribune, 6 Nov. 2026
In John’s 2008 novel The Appeal, an ambitious young attorney is unwittingly recruited by some nefarious special interests to seek election to the state supreme court.

— David Baldacci, Vanity Fair, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of unwittingly

Adverb

If presented with something to grip, even unconsciously, many jaws will.

— Alessandra Codinha, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
Our brain makes these predictions both consciously and unconsciously, relying on past sensory and physical experience to run the odds.

— Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 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

But the proliferation of drones has created a challenge for authorities trying to distinguish routine flights from aircraft operating carelessly, illegally or with malicious intent.

— MSNBC Newsweek, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Nov. 2026
An outright ban on the use of the technology would remove a valuable tool only because some departments have used it carelessly.

— Edward Longe, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of carelessly

Adverb

Polling places can stay open late, but this cannot just be done arbitrarily.

— CBS News, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026
Police and military personnel forcibly disappeared, arbitrarily detained, beat and threatened opposition members, lawyers, journalists and government critics, the report said.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of arbitrarily

Adverb

My Beloved’s casually romantic chassis—but Kings of Leon are still prone to occasionally rocking out, for better or worse.

— Larry Fitzmaurice, Pitchfork, 9 Nov. 2026
Heather Knight, a native of Northern California, has always casually cheered on the San Francisco Giants and the Golden State Warriors.

— Lauren Segal, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of casually

Browse Nearby Words

unintentional

unintentionally

uninterested

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“Unintentionally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unintentionally. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of unintentionally

adverb

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