Meanings
plural inadvertences
- countableuncountableThe state or quality of being inadvertent; inadvertency; heedlessness; carelessness; negligence.
Many mistakes proceed from inadvertence.
- countableuncountableAn effect or result of inattention; an oversight or mistake from negligence.
The size is an inadvertence like the tailor's stitches, to allow a style to emerge.
1990, Gerald Burns, A thing about language, page 64
Synonyms & antonyms
nounan unintentional omission resulting from failure to notice something
nounthe trait of forgetting or ignoring your responsibilities
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Frenchinadvertance
- Englishinadvertence
From Middle French inadvertance.
More words from Middle French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian небрежност
- небрежност (nebrežnost)negligence
Cite this entry
inadvertence. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inadvertence
“inadvertence.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inadvertence. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “inadvertence,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inadvertence.
Source: inadvertence on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.