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definitions

unexpected

[uhn-ik-spek-tid]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR unexpected ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

not expected; unforeseen; surprising: an unexpected pleasure; an unexpected development.

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RELATED WORDS

startling, accidental, unforeseen, wonderful, amazing, astonishing, unpredictable, stunning, sudden, abrupt, fortuitous, swift, unanticipated, chance, impetuous, impulsive, instantaneous, payback, prodigious, staggering

Origin of unexpected

First recorded in 1580–90; un-1 + expect + -ed2
Related formsun·ex·pect·ed·ly, adverbun·ex·pect·ed·ness, noun

Synonyms for unexpected

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR unexpected ON THESAURUS.COM
unanticipated. See sudden.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for unexpected

Contemporary Examples of unexpected

Historical Examples of unexpected

  • I might have paid them at the time, but it was all so unexpected and so sudden,—it rattled me, quite.

    The Spenders

    Harry Leon Wilson

  • This unexpected opposition excited the fierce resentment of the captain.

    Brave and Bold

    Horatio Alger

  • No one was more surprised than Robert at the unexpected inheritance.

    Brave and Bold

    Horatio Alger

  • It is curious to note the extent to which the unexpected has come about.

    'Tis Sixty Years Since

    Charles Francis Adams

  • Sallie Calkins was somewhat flurried by this unexpected call.

British Dictionary definitions for unexpected

unexpected

adjective

surprising or unforeseen
Derived Formsunexpectedly, adverbunexpectedness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for unexpected
adj.

1580s, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of expect. Related: Unexpectedly.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper