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.
To brace for unexpected hiccups in your earnings or health, you need to plan for all scenarios rather than having a theoretical retirement date circled on your calendar.
From MarketWatch • May 29, 2026
Police said the deaths were being treated as unexpected and that no other injuries had been reported.
From BBC • May 29, 2026
Scientists anticipated that an intermediate form would eventually be found, making the discovery both expected and unexpected at the same time.
From Science Daily • May 29, 2026
Over the course of five centuries, this Jewish fable’s relationship to Jews and Judaism has evolved in unfamiliar and unexpected ways.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
The children each nimbly seized a burning candle from one of the lit candelabras and used it to light all the rest, revealing two entirely unexpected sights.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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.
