unintended

adjective

un·​in·​tend·​ed ˌən-in-ˈten-dəd 

: not planned as a purpose or goal : not deliberate or intended

an unintended consequence/effect

an unintended pregnancy

Synonyms

• accidental
• casual
• chance
• fluky
• flukey
• fortuitous
• inadvertent
• incidental
• unintentional
• unplanned
• unpremeditated
• unwitting

Examples of unintended in a Sentence

backyard digging that resulted in unintended damage to buried phone wires

a response that yielded an unintended insight into her personal character

Recent Examples on the Web

The industry that moves everything Americans make and buy is considered an economic bellwether, and will be among the first to signal any unintended consequences of trade policies that Trump says will help, not hurt, U.S. businesses. —Lisa Baertlein, USA TODAY, 14 Dec. 2024

Companies enforcing rigid office returns already see unintended consequences - rising leave requests, declining productivity, and top talent resigning due to lack of consideration. —Kara Dennison, Sphr, Cprw, Ec, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024

All of these factors may have unintended economic and financial market consequences. —Ron Insana, CNBC, 9 Dec. 2024

Correspondent David Pogue talks with Dartmouth economics professor Doug Irwin about the unintended consequences from trade barriers. —David Morgan, CBS News, 6 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1649, in the meaning defined above