Inadvertence; Inadvertency

Part of speech: noun (n.)

1. The quality of being inadvertent; lack of heedfulness or attentiveness; inattention; negligence; as, many mistakes proceed from inadvertence. Inadvertency, or want of attendance to the sense and intention of our prayers. Jer. Taylor.

2. An effect of inattention; a result of carelessness; an oversight, mistake, or fault from negligence. The productions of a great genius, with many lapses an inadvertencies, are infinitely preferable to works of an inferior kind of author which are scrupulously exact. Addison.

Synonyms: Inattention; heedlessness; carelessness; negligence; thoughtlessness. See Inattention.