preterintentional
Syllables: pret·er·in·tent·ion·al/ˌpɹiːtəɹˌɪnˈtɛnʃn̩(ə)l//ˌpɹitəɹˌɪnˈtɛn(t)ʃ(ə)nəl/
preterintentional adjective: additional to or beyond what was intended.
Adjective
preterintentional (not comparable)
- Additional to or beyond what was intended.
- Prater intentional or accidental effects [of the holy communion] give no ground to ſeek them as ſuch a cauſe as is not ordained to vvork them, though haply ſome have been converted at that time. […] Becauſe a man hath been converted at his marriage, vvhere the Sermon and benediction have vvrought...1657, Richard Vines, “Whether the Lords Supper be a Converting Ordinance?”, in A Treatise of the Right Institution, Administration, and Receiving of the Sacrament of the Lords-Supper. […], London...
- Tho' this piece of a Text be left out of ſome Copies, it is yet in MOST, and in the BEST. And vvhere it chanc'd to be left out, that might eaſily happen thro' inadvertency, or præterintentional Miſtake in the Tranſcriber.1709, Erasmus Warren, An Essay towards Shewing the Reasonableness of the Doctrine of the Holy and Undivided Trinity: Or, at Least, the Great Reasonableness of Believing It. […], London: […] J. H. for...
- Of a crime: more serious than the lesser crime that the perpetrator intended to commit instead.
- A crime— […] is preterintentional or beyond the intention, when an injurious or dangerous occurrence is derived from the act or omission which is more serious than the one desired by the agent.1940, Jerome Michael, Herbert Wechsler, “Appendix: Section 3. European Codes: Italian Penal Code: Article 43. (Psychological Element in Offences.)”, in Criminal Law and Its Administration: Cases...
- The number of intentional homicides and preterintentional homicides reported [in Italy] are^([sic]) available for 1900–1939 and 1946–47.1953 September, “Appendix 6. The Deterrent Value of Capital Punishment. III. Statistics.”, in Royal Commission on Capital Punishment 1949–1953: Report […] (Chairman: Ernest Gowers; Cmd. 8932)...
Examples of preterintentional in a sentence
- There was no evil spell, as at the sorceress's shop, but perhaps jactura [Latin: “about to be cast”]: preterintentional.1965, Carlo Emilio Gadda, chapter IX, in William Weaver, transl., That Awful Mess on Via Merulana […], New York, N.Y.: George Braziller...
- However, the preterintentional (which means wanting to do something and causing much more than that as a result) is part of politics.1985 August 30, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, translated by [anonymous], “[Portugal] Communists Most Likely to Gain from Dissolution of Assembly...
- The analysis of the controversial figure of preterintentional crime as established in Ecuadorian and international legislation generates different legal effects in its application.2022, Geoconda Del Rocío Sánchez, Juan Carlos Arandia Zambrano, Karen Clemencia Triviño Vera, “Método Multicriterio Neutrosófico para la...
Origin of preterintentional
From preter- (prefix meaning ‘beyond’) + intentional (adjective). Later uses, especially sense 2 (“of a crime: more serious than the lesser crime that the perpetrator intended to commit instead”) are influenced by Portuguese preterintencional, Spanish preterintencional, etc.
Words formed from preterintentional
Words that rhyme with preterintentional
Questions about preterintentional
- What does preterintentional mean?
- Preterintentional means additional to or beyond what was intended.
- How do you use preterintentional in a sentence?
- There was no evil spell, as at the sorceress's shop, but perhaps jactura [Latin: “about to be cast”]: preterintentional.
- What part of speech is preterintentional?
- Preterintentional is an adjective.
- How do you pronounce preterintentional?
- Preterintentional is pronounced /ˌpɹiːtəɹˌɪnˈtɛnʃn̩(ə)l/ (UK).
Words near preterintentional in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: preterintentional (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-preterintentional.wav, LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-preterintentional.wav.
Cite this entry: “preterintentional.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/preterintentional. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
