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
Look, see how unpredictable the United States is?
—
Michelle Kuo, The Dial, 14 Apr. 2026
In another key role, Felix Kammerer (All Quiet on the Western Front, Frankenstein) is Hans-Dieter Mundt, a brutal, unpredictable and psychotically deadly Stasi enforcer.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 13 Apr. 2026
California has an unpredictable top-two primary system that puts all candidates on one ballot, with only the top two vote-getters advancing to November, regardless of party.
—ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
A lot of it came down to Adam, a brooding alcoholic, who was often unpredictable in his behavior.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unpredictable
Michelle Kuo, The Dial, 14 Apr. 2026
In another key role, Felix Kammerer (All Quiet on the Western Front, Frankenstein) is Hans-Dieter Mundt, a brutal, unpredictable and psychotically deadly Stasi enforcer.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 13 Apr. 2026
California has an unpredictable top-two primary system that puts all candidates on one ballot, with only the top two vote-getters advancing to November, regardless of party.
—ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
A lot of it came down to Adam, a brooding alcoholic, who was often unpredictable in his behavior.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unpredictable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unpredictable
Adjective
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It's been an eventful first month on the job for Pat Lyons, the new athletic director at the University of Rhode Island, who takes the reins in Kingston during a volatile time in college sports, with the billions of dollars available in media rights turning the NCAA into a conduit for big business.—
Kathleen Hill,
The Providence Journal,
11 Apr. 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,
11 Apr. 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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Thompson said the seven-story parking garage is unstable, and the search for the two missing workers will take time.—
Tom Dougherty,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2026
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In contrast, this novel method depends on the path a quantum system takes rather than on unstable external factors.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unpredictable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unpredictable. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
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