Word
inadvertent
Phoneticsin·ad·ver·tent, stress on the third syllable
US/ˌɪnædˈvɝtənt/
UK/ɪnɐdvˈɜːtənt/
Definition
adj. done by accident or without meaning to. You use this to describe something that happens because you were not paying attention.
adj. done or occurring without intention or without being noticed. Often used in legal or formal contexts to describe unintentional errors or omissions.
Examples
“The mistake was inadvertent and easily corrected.”
“The lawyer argued that the evidence was discovered through an inadvertent error in the filing process.”
“While the breach of protocol was inadvertent, the committee still felt it necessary to issue a formal apology to the affected guests.”
Examples
simple
“The mistake was inadvertent and easily corrected.”
contextual
“The lawyer argued that the evidence was discovered through an inadvertent error in the filing process.”
complex
“While the breach of protocol was inadvertent, the committee still felt it necessary to issue a formal apology to the affected guests.”
Real-World Examples
“This makes it possible to identify how genetic diversity develops over time and to prevent the inadvertent loss of genetic diversity.” “An inadvertent error is not fraud, as the President and a third of his cabinet should know because they reportedly did the same thing.” Etymology
Borrowed from Medieval Latin inadvertēns.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
ADVERB
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/inadvertent