as in accidentally
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Recent Examples of inadvertently
Another person died during the attack after being inadvertently shot by police.
—
ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
Another man died during the attack after being inadvertently shot by police.
—Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Public indoor smoking was banned, and, inadvertently, we were armed with a new way to flirt.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
Henderson followed and inadvertently dropped his gun.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2026
There’s not a songwriter out there who won’t have inadvertently, unconsciously, consciously pulled from his work.
—New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Rivera’s defense team contended that the gun went off inadvertently in a struggle after Rosen reached into the car and grabbed Rivera.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2026
But during last year’s legislative session, in the immediate wake of Prospect’s January 2025 bankruptcy filing and before those deals had come together, there was some fear that legislation could, for example, inadvertently box out a potential buyer for one of the hospitals.
—Katy Golvala, Hartford Courant, 26 Apr. 2026
At a school function, Duncan finally succeeds in getting JoAnne to talk to him, but her efforts to funnel him to a different therapist lead inadvertently to his next big score.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2026
ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
Another man died during the attack after being inadvertently shot by police.
—Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Public indoor smoking was banned, and, inadvertently, we were armed with a new way to flirt.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
Henderson followed and inadvertently dropped his gun.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2026
There’s not a songwriter out there who won’t have inadvertently, unconsciously, consciously pulled from his work.
—New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Rivera’s defense team contended that the gun went off inadvertently in a struggle after Rosen reached into the car and grabbed Rivera.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2026
But during last year’s legislative session, in the immediate wake of Prospect’s January 2025 bankruptcy filing and before those deals had come together, there was some fear that legislation could, for example, inadvertently box out a potential buyer for one of the hospitals.
—Katy Golvala, Hartford Courant, 26 Apr. 2026
At a school function, Duncan finally succeeds in getting JoAnne to talk to him, but her efforts to funnel him to a different therapist lead inadvertently to his next big score.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inadvertently
Adverb
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While the manhunt for the escapees was still underway, the same jail accidentally released another inmate who remained at large for nearly a month.—
Greg Hilburn,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
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Authorities said a family member of the boy told them that another family member accidentally drove over the child in their residence's driveway.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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In her latest Netflix action effort, Theron plays a woman who sets off on a trip to Australia to soothe her grief but unwittingly crosses paths with Egerton’s unnerving hunter, who forces her into a game of cat and mouse.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
24 Apr. 2026
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The latter post was criticized by Ben Stiller for using footage from his 2008 comedy Tropic Thunder, which follows a group of actors who are unwittingly dropped into a Southeast Asian war zone.—
Brooke Migdon,
PEOPLE,
22 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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Davidson, 54, became the subject of numerous documentaries, and in 2019, made headlines for unintentionally swearing at Queen Elizabeth II while receiving an award for his advocacy work.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2026
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Bubbles Didn’t Enter The Picture That Early In one of the moist unintentionally hilarious moments in the movie, Michael shocks his family by adopting a CGI baby chimpanzee named Bubbles sometime around 1979.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
25 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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At university, Karp focused his research on how people unconsciously transfer aggression through language.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
13 Apr. 2026
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In presenting the Best Actor winners, Adrien Brody perfectly, if perhaps unconsciously, echoed Johnson’s remarks from more than 50 years earlier.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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Some folks in the band’s organization initially wanted to partner with a big beer company, but fortuitously, somebody countered idea with Dogfish Head.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
26 Apr. 2026
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Sixty years ago, the home opener happened to fortuitously fall during spring break.—
Raymond Daniel Burke,
Baltimore Sun,
23 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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Starting this week, police in Wyandotte, Michigan, are cracking down on kids who ride bicycles and e-bikes carelessly.—
Alysia Burgio,
CBS News,
29 Apr. 2026
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Its international airport — which only recently reopened — has the remains of propeller planes carelessly tossed to the side of the runway, their bodies riddled with bullet holes and their wings askew.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inadvertently.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inadvertently. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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