lack of intent
No deliberate purpose
Lack of intent describes the absence of purpose or deliberate planning behind an action.
In legal contexts, it often serves as a defense—proving lack of intent can reduce charges or establish innocence: The defendant claimed lack of intent, saying the fire was accidental.
The phrase distinguishes careless or accidental acts from willful ones.
- accidentalOccurring by chance
- inadvertentDone without intention
- negligenceFailure to exercise care
- oversightSupervision or inadvertent omission
- mistakeWrong action or decision
no harm meant · careless · unwitting · heat of the moment · crime of passion · chance · happenstance · slip · slip of the tongue · blunder · reckless · unconscious · automatic · force of habit · reflex · impulse · thoughtless · heedless
lack of intentintent
Planned purpose
intention · deliberateness · intentionality · purposefulness · deliberation
lack of intentpremeditation
Advance planning of action
mens rea · malice aforethought · criminal intent · willful misconduct · guilty mind
lack, lacks, lacked, lacking, intent, intend, intends, intended, intending