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unintentional act

[/ˌʌnɪnˈtenʃənəl ækt/]
nounpl: unintentional acts
ato involuntário
1. An action or deed performed without deliberate intention or conscious purpose; something done by accident or mistake
Breaking the vase was an unintentional act; I didn't mean to knock it over.
Quebrar o vaso foi um ato involuntário; não pretendia derrubá-lo.
2. In legal contexts, an action that occurs without mens rea (criminal intent), often resulting in reduced liability
The judge ruled that the harm caused was an unintentional act, so the sentence was lighter.
O juiz determinou que o dano causado foi um ato involuntário, então a sentença foi mais leve.
NYC Slang
accidental move
Synonyms
accidental actunpremeditated actinadvertent actunintended actionmistake
Antonyms
intentional actdeliberate actpremeditated actwillful act

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
ato involuntário
Most common usage in Brazilian Portuguese
São Paulo
ato sem intenção
Alternative colloquial form
Portugal
ato involuntário
Standard European Portuguese usage, sometimes also 'acto involuntário'

Related Idioms & Phrases

without meaning to
by accident
without intending to
slip of the hand
oops moment
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