inadvertent

IPA/ˌɪnədˈvɜːtnt/
KK[ˌɪnədvˈɚtənt]IPA/ˌɪnədˈvɜːrtnt/

inadvertent — adjective

  • inadvertentpositive
  • more inadvertentcomparative
  • most inadvertentsuperlative

1. describes something that happens or is done without the person realising or plan

1.形容詞B2
釋義

describes something that happens or is done without the person realising or planning it, often leading to an unwanted outcome — for example, pressing the wrong button while typing and deleting important work.

例句

Gita's inadvertent deletion of the wrong file caused a week of lost work.

attributive: inadvertent + noun (deletion)

An inadvertent error in the calculation made the bridge design unsafe.

同義詞
  • accidental

    more common in everyday speech; 'inadvertent' is more formal and implies the person should have been more careful

  • unintentional

    broader in use; can describe both actions and mental states ('unintentional insult' vs 'unintentionally rude')

  • unwitting

    emphasises lack of awareness or knowledge rather than lack of intent; slightly more literary

  • unplanned

    focuses on lack of prior arrangement; less formal, used for events rather than errors

反義詞

文法句型

inadvertent + noun

用法筆記

More common in written English than in everyday speech; sounds more formal than 'accidental'. Unlike 'unintentional', which can describe both a person's state of mind and an action, 'inadvertent' only describes the action or its result.

常見錯誤

❌She was inadvertent when she deleted the file.
✅She made an inadvertent mistake when she deleted the file.
💡'Inadvertent' describes actions or results, not a person's state of mind.
❌I made an inadvertent mistake' (redundant — all mistakes are unintentional).
✅I made an inadvertent error / slip / oversight.
💡Use with more neutral nouns that do not already imply unintentionality.