adventitious

adjective

ˌad-(ˌ)ven-ˈti-shəs How to pronounce adventitious (audio)
Definition of adventitiousnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 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 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 Although individual plants have a lifespan of 30-90 years, adventitious shoots grow up from roots. — Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 5 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adventitious
  1. extrinsic
  2. irrelevant
  3. external
  4. extraneous
  5. accidental
  6. alien
  7. foreign
Adjective
  • Anyone that wanted to reserve time in the July 19 final was beholden to a full-tourney pledge of as much as $30 million, although your mileage will vary based on any number of extrinsic variables.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 17 Apr. 2026
  • That authorization was broad and encompassed Gastineau’s name and likeness as reflected in extrinsic footage, such as that of the encounter with Favre.
    — Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 17 Mar. 2026
Definition of extrinsic
Adjective
  • Horowitz said Lunas Campos’ criminal history is irrelevant to his detention.
    — Perla Trevizo, ProPublica, 3 July 2026
  • The Fan Footage Is What Counts Your concert experience is almost irrelevant.
    — Jesse Kirshbaum, SPIN, 3 July 2026
Definition of irrelevant
Adjective
  • If internal promotion rates fall and companies lean harder on external senior hires who do not yet exist in sufficient numbers, the warnings from Cortez, DDI, and Korn Ferry will have been correct.
    — Cindy Rodriguez Constable, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • Meta is also working to cut its ballooning AI spending by reducing reliance on costly external tools.
    — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 30 June 2026
Definition of external
Adjective
  • Still, Copilot is going through a reset, with Andreou eliminating extraneous versions of the AI tool and merging the teams that focused on consumer and enterprise versions of the product.
    — Sebastian Herrera, Fortune, 27 June 2026
  • The Invite should, in a perfect world, relegate that extraneous stuff to the back pages.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 26 June 2026
Definition of extraneous
Adjective
  • Chomentowski lost her son in 2020 to an accidental drug overdose.
    — Brianna Wallen, Hartford Courant, 6 July 2026
  • Police said Rushing's cause of death was likely an accidental drowning.
    — Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 5 July 2026
Definition of accidental
Adjective
  • In the past, it's been falsely linked with everything from hurricanes to floods, wildfires and alien abductions.
    — Emma Woollacott, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • Inspired by the alien invasion genre and slacker hang out movies, the film is about a group of friends standing up against an alien invasion that threatens to swallow the whole world.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 2 July 2026
Definition of alien
Adjective
  • There’s no guarantee Lawrence will ever play host to a foreign national soccer team’s World Cup base camp again.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 3 July 2026
  • Test your news knowledge with this week's Fox News Digital News Quiz, featuring a primary upset in Colorado, while police identify the Empire State Building climbers as foreign daredevils.
    — Staff, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
Definition of foreign

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Cite this Entry

“Adventitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adventitious. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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