How to Use inadvertent in a Sentence

inadvertent

adjective
  • But the frog’s rise to fame may have had an inadvertent dark side.
    — Ed Yong, The Atlantic, 4 May 2017
  • But the front end is light enough that even kids could drag it around to escape inadvertent wrong turns.
    — Ezra Dyer, Popular Mechanics, 25 Mar. 2019
  • And there was an inadvertent signal this month that the slippage may be wider.
    — Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Nov. 2023
  • Skims said in the statement that the error was inadvertent.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
  • Play stopped because of an inadvertent whistle, but James was slow to get up.
    — Staff Writer follow, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2023
  • So if those inadvertent dents and dings add up, it could be subtracted from your wallet at the end of the lease.
    — David Muller, Car and Driver, 11 Aug. 2017
  • Russell Mora ruled that had been caused by an inadvertent head butt.
    — Bill Dwyre, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2020
  • That’s where the irony of the show’s premise ends up sounding like an inadvertent confession.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 3 June 2026
  • Its inadvertent ability to double up as a whoopee cushion when sat on did not help its case.
    — Jack Bantock, CNN Money, 14 May 2026
  • In the past government has had at best a spotty and often inadvertent role.
    — Milton Ezrati, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2023
  • The Vols could’ve covered in a fourth if not for an inadvertent block by an official late in the game.
    — Christopher Smith, al, 27 Oct. 2019
  • In that way, the incident brought Nascar some inadvertent luck.
    — Andrew Beaton, WSJ, 7 Mar. 2021
  • All of which means that anyone with secrets to keep would be wise to sweep their desk for shiny objects that might serve as inadvertent spy bugs.
    — Andy Greenberg, Wired, 22 Feb. 2022
  • In hindsight, Thadeus is sure that there was an inadvertent flouting of etiquette on his part.
    — Han Ong, The New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2025
  • The small audience may have the inadvertent issue of making the laughs seem… small?
    — Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 4 Oct. 2020
  • But the touchdown was taken off the board because of an inadvertent whistle.
    — Randy Kennedy, al, 11 Nov. 2022
  • That game got dicey once Brady Manek got tossed for throwing an inadvertent elbow.
    — Eddie Pells, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Mar. 2022
  • The event will be held at — talk about an inadvertent tie-in — the Beverly Hilton.
    — Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 2 Jan. 2023
  • All times are the wrong time to leave even an inadvertent impression of it — but this time is especially wrong.
    — Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2025
  • The contact was inadvertent, and Green ended up on the hardwood, but Green got called for a foul.
    — Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2024
  • At the time, RapLeaf said the transmission of the data was inadvertent and stopped.
    — Kirsten Grind, WSJ, 20 Mar. 2018
  • The legal counsel of the president is saying that this was an inadvertent mistake, that these have been popped up now at two places.
    — Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 13 Jan. 2023
  • Jeff Okudah knocked two of his teammates out of last week's win over the Packers with inadvertent hits to the head.
    — Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press, 6 Nov. 2022
  • The Terriers got an early goal on a penalty kick, called for an inadvertent handball in the box.
    — Steve Smith, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2022
  • Halsey is walking back an inadvertent joke about the World Trade Center.
    — Helen Murphy, PEOPLE.com, 24 Jan. 2020
  • Culkin also told his fans about the reaction that Pesci, now 81, had to the inadvertent chomp.
    — Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
  • In The Scheme, Dawkins insisted that this was an inadvertent mix-up.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 3 Oct. 2024
  • But an inadvertent mistake can have huge consequences.
    — Vincent Turley, Hartford Courant, 21 Aug. 2025
  • In the case of inadvertent omissions, the filer can contact the commission.
    — Robert Higgs, cleveland, 25 Aug. 2021
  • Pally goes with the flow as well as anyone, which puts an interviewer at ease — as that’s when inadvertent insults can happen.
    — Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inadvertent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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