as in volatile
likely to change frequently, suddenly, or unexpectedly
unpredictable spring weather that makes it really hard to know what to wear
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unpredictable
Hauser plays Pug Browder, a violent and unpredictable figure shadowing Eddy’s chaotic stumble through Austin’s criminal underworld.
—
Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 3 Oct. 2025
There’s no other diva quite like Ellie the Elephant, the unpredictable, always entertaining mascot of the WNBA’s New York Liberty.
—Li Goldstein, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 Oct. 2025
The Raiders are a very tough and unpredictable team, so the Colts will need everyone available to ensure the team notches its fourth win of the season.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025
The drama centers on 17-year-old Lee Jooin (Seo Su-bin), an unpredictable high school student whose angry outburst creates ripple effects throughout her world.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unpredictable
Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 3 Oct. 2025
There’s no other diva quite like Ellie the Elephant, the unpredictable, always entertaining mascot of the WNBA’s New York Liberty.
—Li Goldstein, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 Oct. 2025
The Raiders are a very tough and unpredictable team, so the Colts will need everyone available to ensure the team notches its fourth win of the season.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025
The drama centers on 17-year-old Lee Jooin (Seo Su-bin), an unpredictable high school student whose angry outburst creates ripple effects throughout her world.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unpredictable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unpredictable
Adjective
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This potential hindrance to growth adds another layer of uncertainty to an already volatile policy outlook.—
John Melloy,
CNBC,
1 Oct. 2025
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The remnants of a tropical storm that brought steamy rain and a volatile atmosphere to the Bay Area last week have faded, according to the National Weather Service.—
Rick Hurd,
Mercury News,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Rigorous, blustery winter; winding sleety spring; hot, moist enervating summer; changeful autumn with its dog-days; these are absolutely unknown.—
San Diego Union-Tribune,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 Jan. 2023
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Hers is the kind of face that inspires directors to tight framing — gleaming, as if smoothed from marble, and yet somehow pliant, changeful.—
Jordan Kisner Jack Davison,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2022
Adjective
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Those settlers managed to make an underground river with murderous maggots on unstable terrain into a tourist attraction in record time.—
Ann Patchett,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
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Gun violence, social media, and an unstable economy all contribute to their mental health struggles.—
Ashleigh N. DeLuca,
Parents,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unpredictable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unpredictable. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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