unintentional

adjective

un·​in·​ten·​tion·​al
ˌən-in-ˈten(t)-sh(ə-)nəl
 How to pronounce unintentional (audio)
: not done by intention or design : not intentional
an unintentional effect
causing unintentional harm/offense
unintentionally adverb
an unintentionally offensive remark

Examples of unintentional in a Sentence

an unintentional encounter with an old classmate at the mall an unintentional insult that nevertheless was very hurtful
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Every year in the US, there are approximately 35,000 ER visits due to unintentional medication overdoses among children under 5 years old. Katia Hetter, CNN, 1 Mar. 2025 Being aware of the potential for unintentional data leakage. Vinay Goel, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025 More than 400 Americans die annually from unintentional carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, more than 100,000 visit the emergency room and more than 14,000 are hospitalized, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sara Moniuszko, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2025 Three people had been charged with negligent homicide, or unintentional manslaughter, and two had been charged with supplying drugs. Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unintentional

Word History

First Known Use

1782, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unintentional was in 1782

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Cite this Entry

“Unintentional.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unintentional. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

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