ADVENTITIOUS Synonyms: 29 Similar and Opposite Words

adventitious

adjective

ˌad-(ˌ)ven-ˈti-shəs

Definition of adventitious

as in extrinsic

not being a vital part of or belonging to something the point of view that art should be for art's sake and that moral considerations are adventitious to the study of art

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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.

Recent Examples of adventitious Although individual plants have a lifespan of 30-90 years, adventitious shoots grow up from roots. — Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 5 July 2025 The patchy and adventitious quality of Jameson’s reconstruction must make clear his difference as a thinker. — Mark Greif, Harper's Magazine, 26 July 2024 The cut appears to have been high enough that the stump should still have enough adventitious buds to regrow. — Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 3 Oct. 2023 This can also occur when trees are planted too deep, as adventitious (growing sideways from the stem) roots grow against the stem and squeeze the sapwood. — Rebecca Jepsen, The Mercury News, 28 Aug. 2019

Recent Examples of Synonyms for adventitious

Adjective

Educational psychology provides a useful framework for understanding this phenomenon through the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

— Jason Benedict, Fortune, 7 July 2026
Extrinsic rewards, such as grades, do so because extrinsic desires tend to crowd out intrinsic ones.

— David Brooks, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026

Definition of extrinsic

Adjective

The shift may have been good for business, but users often lamented that lack of control, complaining that the recommendation algorithms could send them down rabbit holes of irrelevant or even toxic content.

— Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2026
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO predicts that advances in robotics and space exploration could eventually make conventional money irrelevant.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of irrelevant

Adjective

In humanoid robotics, this approach can help develop coordinated movements that account for the robot’s body dynamics and interactions with external objects.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026
The difference between organizations that develop leaders effectively and those that spend without return is whether the development is anchored to an honest external baseline.

— Aurelien Mangano, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of external

Adjective

In some instances a victim’s extraneous activity has made a prosecutor’s task more difficult.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026
McAuliffe, now a breast cancer surgeon and clinical investigator at Emory University, said that surgeons encounter a lot of extraneous information in the electronic health record — but the nudge was simple.

— Allessandra DiCorato, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of extraneous

Adjective

The character creator is impressive, too, with a huge number of unlockable outfits and accessories, as well as classic alien races from the movies and cartoons.

— Brad Bourque, The Verge, 21 Oct. 2026
And their extreme, alien physics may help scientists elucidate how the first generation of stars and the first galaxies came to be.

— Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of alien

Adjective

Beirut's private-press scene has little in common with the studio culture of ’80s Tokyo, where an abundance of resources and technology filtered the same foreign influences into something more perfect and polished.

— Shy Clara Thompson, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026
Reuters reported that Tesla’s work in China could also complicate things, as Starlink technology is used in foreign conflicts and the company has a relationship with the Pentagon.

— Ashley Gold, semafor.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of foreign

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advent

adventitious

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“Adventitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adventitious. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of adventitious

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