It may look innocent, but inadvertent belongs to a class of words that provoke anger in many people who care about language – to wit, the back-formation.

inadvertent A good editor will catch and correct all inadvertent typos in a text. I inadvertently gave her change for $20, but she’d only given me $10. This is similar to the homunculus problem …

An inadvertent action is one that you do without realizing what you are doing. The government has said it was an inadvertent error.

INADVERTENT definition: unintentional. See examples of inadvertent used in a sentence.

inadvertent (ˌɪnədˈvɜːtənt) adj 1. failing to act carefully or considerately; inattentive 2. resulting from heedless action; unintentional

Definition of inadvertent adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

Dec 11, 2025 · inadvertent (not comparable) Not intentional; not on purpose; not conscious. We check everything because an inadvertent error could be disastrous.

Definition of inadvertent. English dictionary and integrated thesaurus for learners, writers, teachers, and students with advanced, intermediate, and beginner levels.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025 in•ad•vert•ent (in′əd vûr′ tnt), adj. unintentional: an inadvertent insult. not attentive; heedless. of, pertaining …

Factsheet What does the adjective inadvertent mean? There are two meanings listed in OED's entry for the adjective inadvertent. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation …