unanticipated

adjective

un·​an·​tic·​i·​pat·​ed ˌən-an-ˈti-sə-ˌpā-təd How to pronounce unanticipated (audio)
: not anticipated : unexpected, unforeseen
unanticipatedly adverb

Examples of unanticipated in a Sentence

The new policy has had some unanticipated side effects. ran into some unanticipated difficulties with the computer program
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For example, while there’s been some talk in the trades of the NFL signing off on a floating break to be used in case of an emergency or otherwise unanticipated disruption in play, such a show of flexibility is old hat. Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 7 Feb. 2025 Instead, the advent of the birth control pill and other cultural and economic trends pushed the fertility rate down — evidence of how factors outside a demographer’s field of study can have enormous unanticipated effects. Dylan Scott, Vox, 5 Feb. 2025 Like many early neocons, Kristol was a Marxist who became disillusioned with both the anti-democratic nature of Joseph Stalin's Soviet Union and the unanticipated consequences of liberal social policies in the United States. Jason Fields, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024 The project ratified a longstanding belief of mine: that credible scientists should not be discouraged from doing research on unfashionable topics, because good science deepens our understanding of the world and can lead to unanticipated applications. IEEE Spectrum, 25 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for unanticipated 

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1779, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unanticipated was circa 1779

Dictionary Entries Near unanticipated

Cite this Entry

“Unanticipated.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unanticipated. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on unanticipated

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!