as in extrinsic
not being a vital part of or belonging to something
the point of view that art should be for art's sake and that moral considerations are adventitious to the study of art
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Recent Examples of adventitious
Although individual plants have a lifespan of 30-90 years, adventitious shoots grow up from roots.
—
Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 5 July 2025
Lauren Heller Since Sagittarians are willing to try anything once, the Fire sign resembles Lauren's adventitious persona.
—Lisa Stardust, People.com, 31 Mar. 2025
The patchy and adventitious quality of Jameson’s reconstruction must make clear his difference as a thinker.
—Mark Greif, Harper's Magazine, 26 July 2024
The cut appears to have been high enough that the stump should still have enough adventitious buds to regrow.
—Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 3 Oct. 2023
Plant Deep — Really Deep Tomatoes have the ability to produce roots off their stems, known as adventitious roots.
—Margaret Roach, New York Times, 12 May 2020
This can also occur when trees are planted too deep, as adventitious (growing sideways from the stem) roots grow against the stem and squeeze the sapwood.
—Rebecca Jepsen, The Mercury News, 28 Aug. 2019
Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 5 July 2025
Lauren Heller Since Sagittarians are willing to try anything once, the Fire sign resembles Lauren's adventitious persona.
—Lisa Stardust, People.com, 31 Mar. 2025
The patchy and adventitious quality of Jameson’s reconstruction must make clear his difference as a thinker.
—Mark Greif, Harper's Magazine, 26 July 2024
The cut appears to have been high enough that the stump should still have enough adventitious buds to regrow.
—Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 3 Oct. 2023
Plant Deep — Really Deep Tomatoes have the ability to produce roots off their stems, known as adventitious roots.
—Margaret Roach, New York Times, 12 May 2020
This can also occur when trees are planted too deep, as adventitious (growing sideways from the stem) roots grow against the stem and squeeze the sapwood.
—Rebecca Jepsen, The Mercury News, 28 Aug. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adventitious
Adjective
-
As Spell-Hansson notes in her research publication, organizational leaders can be aware of the interplay of extrinsic and intrinsic barriers and opportunities and be strategic in crafting workplace cultures that will be welcoming to all potential employees.—
Susan Madsen,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
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The most common causes of extrinsic stains are coffee, tea, red wine, colas, and smoking.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
2 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The rise of e-commerce, particularly Amazon, led to widespread belief that traditional big-box retailers would become irrelevant dinosaurs.—
Robert Daugherty,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
-
The judge ruled that evolution’s validity was irrelevant.—
Ron Grossman,
Chicago Tribune,
13 July 2025
Adjective
-
Another psychological factor playing into mental health challenges after winning is the external pressure and expectation to continue winning.—
Brook Choulet,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
-
Investors have speculated about who will lead the company after Cornell — and what that internal or external pick may mean for the company's future.—
Melissa Repko,
CNBC,
15 July 2025
Adjective
-
Changes to Social Security are considered extraneous and not relevant in the reconciliation process.—
Thomas Hager,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
-
The streaming economy, however, has stretched the narrative timeline, elongated the arc, padding out a predetermined number of episodes with extraneous digressions, giving minor characters things to do that don’t necessarily contribute to the story, while not developing into much on their own.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
Today, even minor missteps—whether accidental or intentional—can rapidly escalate, leading to public crises that damage reputations and erode the trust organizations have worked hard to build.—
Maria Trochimezuk,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
-
Despite suspicions of foul play from both U.S. and Zambian officials, local police declared Bianca’s death the result of an accidental discharge of a firearm.—
Lynsey Eidell,
People.com,
23 July 2025
Adjective
-
Alpha Gang follows a group of alien invaders sent to conquer Earth.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
15 July 2025
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Where the Drake equation depicts the bottlenecks that narrow probabilities of life for an entire galaxy, Dreck is adding back the extant uncounted alien rules, those whose burden’s origin is otherwise than the agency’s rulemaking process.—
Clyde Wayne Crews Jr,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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The court said the state was likely to succeed on the merits of the case, saying the state’s law was narrowly tailored to serve the government’s compelling interest in preventing foreign influence on elections.—
BrieAnna J. Frank,
USA Today,
22 July 2025
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In July, Trump signed an executive order increasing fees for foreign tourists visiting U.S. national parks, many of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
22 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Adventitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adventitious. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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