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.
He urged AI labs to "listen when your scientists warn of severe dangers, investigate unexpected behaviours, and if you can't adequately control the risks, do not release the system".
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
The results were especially unexpected because polyethylene has traditionally been regarded as a relatively biologically inert material.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
A dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind and, in his telling, unexpected connections.
From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2026
And unexpected weight restrictions can crop up due to weather, runway changes or fuel requirements.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
“Well, you know me—always popping up in unexpected places.”
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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.
