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

The clip physically holds these components in place, preventing the movement that could trigger an unintended detonation. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026

For small businesses, those unintended consequences are a serious threat to affordable health coverage. — Christian Swann, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Oct. 2026

Everything has unintended consequences, and attempting to capture these trade-offs across the whole ecosystem — much of which sits outside of a brand’s control — would paralyze even the most proactive nature lead. — Bella Webb, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026

As brains get bigger and more complicated, the potential for unintended connections is harder to prevent—these can wreak havoc, potentially causing death. — Simon Makin, Scientific American, 29 Oct. 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