1
as in accidental
happening by chance
backyard digging that resulted in unintended damage to buried phone wires
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in spontaneous
not made or done willingly or by choice
a response that yielded an unintended insight into her personal character
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unintended
Ventilating your garage this way can also have other unintended safety consequences, like break-ins and critters.
—
Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 20 Mar. 2026
Refresh cycles were designed to be repeatable, with quality checks that reduced noise and prevented unintended drift.
—Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
Current formulations of the drug also persist in the bloodstream for long periods, which can have unintended consequences.
—Michal Ruprecht, NPR, 16 Mar. 2026
Musing about unintended consequences, Oosterhoff mentioned the myth of Pandora’s box and Goethe’s tale of the sorcerer’s apprentice.
—Charles Lane, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unintended
Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 20 Mar. 2026
Refresh cycles were designed to be repeatable, with quality checks that reduced noise and prevented unintended drift.
—Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
Current formulations of the drug also persist in the bloodstream for long periods, which can have unintended consequences.
—Michal Ruprecht, NPR, 16 Mar. 2026
Musing about unintended consequences, Oosterhoff mentioned the myth of Pandora’s box and Goethe’s tale of the sorcerer’s apprentice.
—Charles Lane, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unintended
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unintended
Adjective
-
Garland died in 1969, of an accidental overdose of sleeping pills, but the tragedy did not hamper Minnelli’s ascent.—
Matt Weinstock,
New Yorker,
25 Mar. 2026
-
An accidental house fire displaced seven people, including one child, early Wednesday in south Fort Worth.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Even a spontaneous side order of roasted carrots with pomegranate yogurt is haunting me, in a wonderful way.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Mar. 2026
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And Stanford forbade spontaneous demonstrations across much of campus.—
Rose Horowitch,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Both remind me of Ray’s leads, who sense that they’re being thwarted or not meeting expectations, but seem unable or unwilling to resolve anything.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
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Mueller repeatedly referred questioners back to the text of his report, apparently unwilling—or unable—to add any words of his own.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In comparison, the United States sees more than 4,000 unintentional drowning deaths each year, the CDC said.—
Hali Smith
March 21,
Idaho Statesman,
21 Mar. 2026
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But, royal biographer Kitty Kelley reported, Diana’s decision to wear the choker as a headband was an unintentional one.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unintended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unintended. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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