inadvertently
/ˌɪnədˈvɜːtntli/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌɪnədˈvɜːrtntli/ (ame, ipa)
inadvertently — adverb
1. describes an action that is done without planning or meaning to; something happe
describes an action that is done without planning or meaning to; something happens by accident, often because of a moment's carelessness or a failure to notice what was happening.
Adisa inadvertently threw away his grandmother's antique teapot with the old newspapers.
adverb before main verb in active past tense
The confidential report had been inadvertently emailed to the wrong distribution list.
passive: had been inadvertently + past participle
By leaving the back door open, Jack inadvertently let the neighbour's cat into the kitchen.
A small error in the calculation inadvertently caused the entire project budget to double.
Élise realized she had inadvertently offended her host by arriving two hours late for dinner.
- accidentally
more common and neutral; suitable for both speech and writing
- unintentionally
similar register but focuses purely on absence of intent rather than carelessness
- unwittingly
emphasizes that the person did not know an important fact or consequence
- deliberately
done on purpose with full awareness and planning
- intentionally
with a clear aim or purpose behind the action
用法筆記
Inadvertently is more formal than accidentally or by mistake. It is common in professional writing and formal speech. The adverb typically appears directly before the main verb (She inadvertently deleted the file) or after an auxiliary verb (The file was inadvertently deleted).