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
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
Yet ignoring the high school NIL market could lead to unintended consequences.
—
Aaron S. Marks, Hartford Courant, 15 Aug. 2025
As with most technologies, there are positive uses, possible unintended consequences and best practices.
—Larry Magid, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2025
The Online Safety Act is a masterclass in unintended consequences and symbolic rulemaking.
—James Czerniawski, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Aug. 2025
For dominant economies, the short-term benefits of this raw use of power and disregard for constraints might appear to balance out the costs, but over the longer term, there are likely to be unintended consequences.
—Michael B. G. Froman, Foreign Affairs, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unintended
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.
Aaron S. Marks, Hartford Courant, 15 Aug. 2025
As with most technologies, there are positive uses, possible unintended consequences and best practices.
—Larry Magid, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2025
The Online Safety Act is a masterclass in unintended consequences and symbolic rulemaking.
—James Czerniawski, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Aug. 2025
For dominant economies, the short-term benefits of this raw use of power and disregard for constraints might appear to balance out the costs, but over the longer term, there are likely to be unintended consequences.
—Michael B. G. Froman, Foreign Affairs, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unintended
Cite this Entry
“Unintended.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unintended. Accessed 27 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share