unpredictably

adverb

as in intermittently

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Example Sentences

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 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 The prospect of Helen Mirren playing the legendary author Patricia Highsmith at her most unpredictably misanthropic should be enough of a selling point for A Talent for Murder. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unpredictably
  1. intermittently
  2. fitfully
  3. unintentionally
  4. unconsciously
  5. inadvertently
  6. accidentally
  7. disjointedly
  8. fortuitously
Adverb
  • In 2024, Tony Hout joined the vaccine trial at MD Anderson after seeking care for a spot on his ear that had been bleeding intermittently and wouldn’t fully heal.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The administration has also intermittently pressured Ukraine to cave in its war of survival against Russian aggression.
    — Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of intermittently
Adverb
  • 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
  • The latest, directed by Julio Quintana, stars Zachary Levi and is fitfully diverting, draped with calming New Mexico scenery.
    — Michael Phillips, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of fitfully
Adverb
  • The Fresh Prince comment referred, unintentionally or not, to the infamous 2022 Oscar-night moment when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock across the face after the latter made a joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The results range from remarkably accurate to unintentionally hilarious.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of unintentionally
Adverb
  • 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
  • There’s also evidence that some mimicry happens unconsciously.
    — Alesandra Dubin, Glamour, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of unconsciously
Adverb
  • In that moment, Wiley’s friend inadvertently hit another car while Wiley’s door was open.
    — Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026
  • This leads to River commandeering a woman’s car and inadvertently gaining a partner in her dog Monty, who doesn’t figure into the action but is most assuredly a Very Good Boy.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of inadvertently
Adverb
  • And one of the league's small market owners accidentally admitted that baseball is more profitable than one of the most famously lucrative industries on planet earth.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026
  • With the audience already erupting in laughter, Magliano dug in her heels, poking fun at the United States’ strict broadcasting rules after Gillis accidentally dropped the F-bomb during a sketch.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of accidentally
Adverb
  • The game ran poorly, crashed regularly, looked unremarkable, and drove disjointedly.
    — Adam Ismail, The Drive, 25 Mar. 2026
Definition of disjointedly
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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Cite this Entry

“Unpredictably.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unpredictably. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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