as in sudden
not expected
there are almost always unforeseen consequences for any major endeavor unforeseen problems delayed the project beyond its deadline
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Recent Examples of unforeseen
Individual papers might be wrong because of honest mistakes, such as unforeseen limitations in the experimental design or, rarely, from outright fraud.
—
Jeffrey A. Lee, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2026
During major events such as the State of the Union address, a member of the president’s Cabinet who is in the line of succession is kept at an obscure location in case an unforeseen event kills the president, vice president and other top leaders.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026
As filming commenced, unforeseen complexities piled up to the sky.
—Chris Lee, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2026
Motorists should be aware that modifications or extensions to this schedule may become necessary due to weather delays or other unforeseen conditions.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unforeseen
Jeffrey A. Lee, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2026
During major events such as the State of the Union address, a member of the president’s Cabinet who is in the line of succession is kept at an obscure location in case an unforeseen event kills the president, vice president and other top leaders.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026
As filming commenced, unforeseen complexities piled up to the sky.
—Chris Lee, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2026
Motorists should be aware that modifications or extensions to this schedule may become necessary due to weather delays or other unforeseen conditions.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unforeseen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unforeseen
Adjective
-
If the arteries are leading to the brain, symptoms may involve sudden numbness or weakness in the arms or legs, trouble speaking, slurred speech, sudden or temporary vision loss in one eye or facial drooping.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
-
The vote of confidence from Multicoin continued what has been a sudden revival of interest in Zcash, which first launched in 2016.—
Jack Kubinec,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
An unexpected new burst of infamy arrived in 2011, when the motto appeared at SlutWalk NYC, a feminist protest, on a sign held by a protester—a white woman, as far as anyone could tell.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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In another unexpected turn of events, meme stock GameStop made a bid to fully acquire e-commerce platform eBay.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unforeseen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unforeseen. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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