unexpected
Americanadjective
adjective
Synonym Usage
See sudden.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unexpected
Explanation
Use the adjective unexpected to describe something that takes you by surprise. An unexpected knock on your front door might make you jump. When you don't anticipate something, and have no clue that it's coming, you can call it unexpected. A successful surprise party is always unexpected, and an unexpected visitor can be exciting or inconvenient, depending on who it is. If you expect an event, you know it's going to occur, but if it's unexpected, it seems to come from nowhere. The Latin root is expectare, "await, look out for, desire, or hope."
Vocabulary lists containing unexpected
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for April 22–April 28, 2023
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Week 5: Scientific Viewpoints
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Strange
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When the researchers closely examined the synapses, the tiny junctions where bipolar cells communicate, they found something unexpected.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
But coming from Northern Ireland, Sophie knew she was an unexpected choice for a role so closely linked with American performers.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
‘I’d hate to end up with an unexpected tax bill’: I’m 73 and still work full time.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
I was recently playing a game of low-level ladies’ tennis, when my opponent hit an unexpected drop shot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Wind blows in unexpected downdrafts and updrafts as it moves over mountain peaks, and this can slam a small plane into the ground.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
