inadvertent
inadvertent Lexical Profile
inadvertent Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Not resulting from or achieved through deliberate planning; unintentional or accidental, especially due to an oversight.
"An inadvertent clerical error delayed the processing of her university application by two weeks."
Not paying proper attention; heedless, inattentive, or negligent (now rare when applied directly to persons).
"An inadvertent Proofreader may easily overlook subtle typographical mistakes in a long manuscript."
Word Nuance & Usage
In modern usage, 'inadvertent' almost always describes an unintended action, error, or consequence (e.g., 'an inadvertent omission') rather than a person's general character.
• Rhymes for inadvertent
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the mid-17th century from Medieval Latin inadvertentem, formed from the privative prefix in- ('not') and Latin advertere ('to turn one's attention to'), from ad- ('toward') and vertere ('to turn').