unintended
Britishadjective
Explanation
If you do something without planning or meaning to do it, it's unintended. An unintended consequence of your fun day at the beach is your painful, peeling sunburn. To intend is to plan or aim to do something. When you don't intend to do something but it happens anyway, it's unintended. An unintended side effect of your winning the 50-yard dash might be the extreme envy of your sister, who's very athletic and loves to win. And if you let her trim your hair later, you may just end up with unintended bangs!
Vocabulary lists containing unintended
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.
The database contains reports of unintended and harmful side effects linked to medications.
From Science Daily • May 23, 2026
An SAI is any event or circumstance that led or could have led to unintended or unexpected harm, loss, or damage.
From BBC • May 20, 2026
Health and Human Services did not respond to questions about what scientific concerns and unintended consequences Kennedy was referring to.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
Here is a version of history in which a strong sense of unintended consequences plays a leading part.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
He flew over the fence, did an unintended somersault in midair, then stumbled to a landing on the opposite side.
From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan
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.
