{ pl. -ces /plu>, pl. -cies /plu>, } n. [ Cf. F. inadvertance. ] [ 1913 Webster ] 1. The quality of being inadvertent; lack of heedfulness or attentiveness; inattention; negligence; as, many mistakes proceed from inadvertence. [ 1913 Webster ] Inadvertency, or lack of attendance to the sense and intention of our prayers. Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ] 2. An effect of inattention; a result of carelessness; an oversight, mistake, or fault from negligence. [ 1913 Webster ] 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. Syn. -- Inattention; heedlessness; carelessness; negligence; thoughtlessness. See Inattention. [ 1913 Webster ] Variants: Inadvertence |