UNPREDICTABLY Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

unpredictably

adverb

as in intermittently

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of unpredictably Healthy young children carried it silently, and some, unpredictably, became seriously ill. — Katrine L. Wallace, The Conversation, 30 Oct. 2026 However, that stiffness can make physical interactions harder to manage, especially when objects move unpredictably or require a softer touch. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026 Over time, the tags fall off or attach chaotically, meaning tags are inconsistent between cells and genes start turning on unpredictably. — Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 7 Oct. 2026 Outdoors is also a rough place to work, since humidity, temperature, and wind swing unpredictably. — New Atlas, 4 Oct. 2026 Recent studies have proposed that these fluctuations are not purely random but occur within what is known as a chaotic attractor — a set of possible storm states within which the hurricane can evolve unpredictably. — Chanh Kieu, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026 Wildlife with domoic acid poisoning can act unpredictably, the center said. — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 27 Sep. 2026 If China agrees to participate, that would create an open line for either side to send alerts when their country’s AI systems pose threats or behave unpredictably. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2026 Norms do shift, sometimes unpredictably, as people watch one another live. — Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unpredictably

Adverb

And then there is the ever-increasing atomization across media, with political discourse splaying out across countless newsletters that are only intermittently in conversation with one another.

— Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 2 Nov. 2026
Running or Leaking Toilet Some toilets leak or run intermittently, quietly enough to go unnoticed.

— Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of intermittently

Adverb

To be clear, this remains a bull market, the S&P 500's uptrend unbroken, with constant rotations between AI tech and remainder of the market fitfully supporting the tape, with pullbacks limited to 3% for half a year.

— Michael Santoli, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026
Using the history of gay male desire in different time periods — dangerous, clandestine, outlawed and at long last fitfully accepted — the film examines legacy and what gets handed down across time.

— Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of fitfully

Adverb

Andrews, the Senate’s first female physician and first pediatrician, credits her stance on gun control to her experience treating children who have unintentionally shot themselves after finding an unsecured firearm.

— Gabrielle M. Etzel, The Washington Examiner, 8 Nov. 2026
Because segregation had historically excluded Black veterans from those areas, the practice could unintentionally perpetuate the very divisions that once determined where they were allowed to be buried.

— Sarah M. Boye, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Nov. 2026

Definition of unintentionally

Adverb

If presented with something to grip, even unconsciously, many jaws will.

— Alessandra Codinha, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
Our brain makes these predictions both consciously and unconsciously, relying on past sensory and physical experience to run the odds.

— Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of unconsciously

Adverb

But upon arrival, they inadvertently got mixed in with a busload of draftees arriving for their inductions.

— Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2026
Since intoxicating hemp was inadvertently legalized in the 2018 federal Farm Bill, smoke shops, convenience stores, and gas stations have sold it without restrictions.

— Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 10 Nov. 2026

Definition of inadvertently

Adverb

Written and directed by Sun Aoqian, the film stars Song Jia as a weary crematorium worker who accidentally mixes up two sets of funeral ashes.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Nov. 2026
But a space maneuver accidentally exposed one of its batteries to the sun, and the spacecraft lost power.

— Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of accidentally

Adverb

And, fortuitously for would-be sponsors, something happened in tennis that made these arrangements even more appealing.

— Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
The earnings announcement was fortuitously timed, coming just as reports were surfacing of high-level OpenAI employees joining the company.

— Jordan Novet, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of fortuitously

Browse Nearby Words

unpredictable

unpredictably

unprejudiced

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“Unpredictably.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unpredictably. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of unpredictably

adverb

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