Inadvertent: happening without intention
Inadvertent describes something unintentional, often caused by a lack of attention. It comes from roots meaning not directing attention towards something. An inadvertent omission might occur when you copy a guest list and accidentally leave out one row, rather than deliberately removing the person listed there.
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An accident of attention
Inadvertent is an adjective meaning unintentional, often through oversight. Its formation combines a negative prefix with a root connected to Latin advertere, meaning to turn towards, including turning one's attention towards something.
An inadvertent deletion happens when someone removes a file without intending that result. An inadvertent omission happens when something is left out accidentally.
The related adverb is inadvertently:
- I inadvertently attached the older file.
- One name was inadvertently omitted.
The word explains intention, not the size of the consequence. An inadvertent error can still cause inconvenience and need correction. In a practical message, follow it with what happened and how the specific mistake is being corrected.