unexpected

[ uhn-ik-spek-tid ]

/ ˌʌn ɪkˈspɛk tɪd /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR unexpected ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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

Words nearby unexpected

unexampled, unexceptionable, unexceptional, unexcited, unexciting, unexpected, unexpendable, unexperienced, unexplained, unexploited, unexplored

Origin of unexpected

First recorded in 1580–90; un-¹ + expect + -ed²

SYNONYMS FOR unexpected

unanticipated. See sudden.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR unexpected ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM unexpected

un·ex·pect·ed·ly, adverbun·ex·pect·ed·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for unexpected

Airline pilots are now slowly, too slowly, being given access to flight simulators able to reproduce sudden and unexpected upsets.
Did Bad Weather Bring Down AirAsia 8501?|Clive Irving|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now imagine that one day hope appeared, an unexpected opportunity to free yourself, to finally be yourself.
The Insurance Company Promised a Gender Reassignment. Then They Made a Mistake.|James Joiner|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And the chord structure, for those of you who play an instrument, is unexpected and worth checking out.
Yes, I Like Christmas Music. Stop Laughing.|Michael Tomasky|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
During this time, Mailer also displayed an unexpected humility in the company of his fellow literary stars.
Mailer’s Letters Pack a Punch and a Surprising Degree of Sweetness|Ronald K. Fried|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Return of the King had Smeagol, An Unexpected Journey featured Frodo and an older Bilbo.
‘No Regrets’: Peter Jackson Says Goodbye to Middle-Earth|Alex Suskind|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I have plucked a bunch of leaves in an unexpected swoop in-shore.
The Sea and the Jungle|H. M. Tomlinson
The words were so intense, so spontaneous and unexpected, that Loder took a step back.
The Masquerader|Katherine Cecil Thurston
The wild animal, apparently stupified by her unexpected violence, was detained by her till despatched by a bullet.
Sketches of the Natural History of Ceylon|J. Emerson Tennent
So Hans became another factor in the problem the unexpected had given Edith Nelson to solve.
Love of Life|Jack London
That is a little longer than I calculated, but it was due to unexpected troubles.
Through Space to Mars|Roy Rockwood

British Dictionary definitions for unexpected

unexpected

/ (ˌʌnɪkˈspɛktɪd) /

adjective

surprising or unforeseen

Derived forms of unexpected

unexpectedly, 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

unexpected

adjective

Words related to unexpected

Words nearby unexpected

Origin of unexpected

SYNONYMS FOR unexpected

OTHER WORDS FROM unexpected

Examples from the Web for unexpected

British Dictionary definitions for unexpected

adjective

Derived forms of unexpected