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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Recent Examples of unpredictable
Was this a radical, unpredictable metamorphosis, or was a fascist tendency latent in the DNA of the party?
—
Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2026
And Radcliffe and his team are working hard to make sure the experience is as painless and fun as possible for each volunteer while accounting for whatever unpredictable responses may play out.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
Initial attempts usually ran into knock (unpredictable ignition) or other control issues.
—New Atlas, 23 Feb. 2026
Winter and early spring weather can be unpredictable.
—Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unpredictable
Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2026
And Radcliffe and his team are working hard to make sure the experience is as painless and fun as possible for each volunteer while accounting for whatever unpredictable responses may play out.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
Initial attempts usually ran into knock (unpredictable ignition) or other control issues.
—New Atlas, 23 Feb. 2026
Winter and early spring weather can be unpredictable.
—Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unpredictable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unpredictable
Adjective
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Quick recovery after extinction Interestingly, the fossil identification suggests that even in the immediate, volatile aftermath of a global catastrophe, these creatures were not isolated.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Feb. 2026
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Flying is the company’s second Nova-C lander named Athena featuring NASA’s PRIME-1 drill, to land a drill and mass spectrometer near the south pole of the moon in order to demonstrate the feasibility of in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) and measure the volatile content of subsurface samples.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 Feb. 2026
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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And, as predicted, the blizzard arrived, delivering blankets of unstable powder.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
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The storm arrived as predicted and by Tuesday morning had dumped several feet of fresh, unstable snow.—
Grace Toohey,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unpredictable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unpredictable. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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