unintended

adjective

un·​in·​tend·​ed ˌən-in-ˈten-dəd How to pronounce unintended (audio)
: 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
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.
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

Word History

First Known Use

1649, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unintended was in 1649

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unintended.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unintended. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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