unintentional

adjective

un·​in·​ten·​tion·​al
ˌən-in-ˈten(t)-sh(ə-)nəl
 How to pronounce unintentional (audio)
: not done by intention or design : not intentional
an unintentional effect
causing unintentional harm/offense
unintentionally adverb
an unintentionally offensive remark

Examples of unintentional in a Sentence

an unintentional encounter with an old classmate at the mall an unintentional insult that nevertheless was very hurtful
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
What to Do Before an Estate Sale Familiarize Yourself with the Rules Sometimes, a little research ahead of time can save you from an embarrassing—and likely unintentional—etiquette faux pas. Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 3 Nov. 2024 With millions of people visiting Yosemite National Park each year, the leading causes of unintentional deaths in national parks are motor vehicle crashes, drownings and falls, according to the National Park Service's mortality data from 2014 through 2019. Mollie Markowitz, Fox News, 27 Sep. 2024 Don’t Count Out Employees With Special Needs Children While the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects parents from discrimination, biases can sometimes be unintentional. Rachelle Rutherford, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024 In almost all cases, Israel has maintained that the killings journalists were unintentional. Yasmeen Serhan, TIME, 26 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for unintentional 

Word History

First Known Use

1782, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unintentional was in 1782

Dictionary Entries Near unintentional

Cite this Entry

“Unintentional.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unintentional. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on unintentional

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