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 of unintended

• accidental

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

If the definition of AI is broad, all kinds of potentially non-AI systems will fall into the scope, which is presumably unintended. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026

But critics say the costly project — some analysts put its price tag at as much as $1 trillion — could have the unintended effect of triggering an arms race, rather than deterring adversarial behavior. —Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 23 Jan. 2026

Yet shooting a horror movie in his home had an unintended effect. —William Earl, Variety, 22 Jan. 2026

But the success of the stablecoin bill, called the Genius Act, gave rise to unintended consequences. —Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 21 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1649, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unintended

• apprehended
• comprehended
• condescended
• recommended
• resuspended
• unamended
• unattended
• undefended
• undescended
• unexpended
• amended
• appended