Standard Lemma guide

inadvertently

adv · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 N AH0 D V ER1 T AH0 N T L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: IH2 N AE0 D V ER1 T AH0 N T L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adv

Meaning 1

Unintentionally; because of an oversight.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adverb

Meaning 2

without knowledge or intention

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he unwittingly deleted the references

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: unwittingly, unknowingly

Antonyms: advertently

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Medieval Latin inadvertēnsbor. English inadvertent Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der. Proto-Germanic *līkąder. Proto-Germanic *-līkaz Proto-Germanic *-ê Proto-Germanic *-līkê Proto-West Germanic *-līkē Old English -līċe Middle English -ly English -ly English inadvertently From inadvertent + -ly.

Across languages

Translations

46 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: по невнимание (po nevnimanie) — unintentionally
  • Catalan: inadvertidament — unintentionally
  • Chinese Mandarin: 無意地 /无意地 (wúyì de) — unintentionally
  • Chinese Mandarin: 無意中 /无意中 (wúyìzhōng) — unintentionally
  • Chinese Mandarin: 不經意間 /不经意间 (bùjīngyìjiān) — unintentionally
  • Czech: nechtěně — unintentionally
  • Dutch: onopzettelijk — unintentionally
  • Dutch: ongewild — unintentionally
  • Esperanto: senvole — unintentionally
  • Esperanto: senintence — unintentionally
  • Finnish: tahattomasti — unintentionally
  • French: par inadvertance — unintentionally
  • French: par mégarde — unintentionally
  • French: par erreur — unintentionally
  • Georgian: უნებლიედ (uneblied) — unintentionally
  • Georgian: შემთხვევითად (šemtxvevitad) — unintentionally
  • Georgian: განუზრახველად (ganuzraxvelad) — unintentionally
  • Georgian: უყურადღებოდ (uq̇uradɣebod) — unintentionally
  • Georgian: დაუდევრად (daudevrad) — unintentionally
  • Georgian: დაუფიქრებლად (daupikreblad) — unintentionally
  • German: versehentlich — unintentionally
  • German: irrtümlich — unintentionally
  • German: unbeabsichtigterweise — unintentionally
  • German: unabsichtlicherweise — unintentionally
  • Greek: άθελα (áthela) — unintentionally
  • Japanese: うっかり (ukkari) — unintentionally
  • Japanese: 何気無く (nanigenaku) — unintentionally
  • Japanese: 何気に (nanige ni) — unintentionally
  • Portuguese: sem querer — unintentionally
  • Portuguese: inadvertidamente — unintentionally
  • Portuguese: sem intenção — unintentionally
  • Russian: неча́янно (nečájanno) — unintentionally
  • Russian: неумы́шленно (neumýšlenno) — unintentionally
  • Russian: ненаро́ком (nenarókom) — unintentionally
  • Russian: ненаро́чно (nenaróčno) — unintentionally
  • Russian: случа́йно (slučájno) — unintentionally
  • Slovak: nechtiac — unintentionally
  • Slovak: neúmyselne — unintentionally
  • Slovak: omylom — unintentionally
  • Spanish: sin querer — unintentionally
  • Spanish: burla burlando — unintentionally
  • Swedish: oavsiktligt — unintentionally
  • Tocharian B: enersäṅk — unintentionally
  • Turkish: kazara — unintentionally
  • Ukrainian: ненавми́сне (nenavmýsne) — unintentionally
  • Ukrainian: ненавми́сно (nenavmýsno) — unintentionally
Real reading context

inadvertently in complete knowledge articles