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 How these two segments smash together so unpredictably and imaginatively makes this yet another new horror film that thinks outside of the box. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026 Youthful ambition bequeathed them unpredictably shifting time signatures, a daunting nylon-string intro, some odd musical shifts during the guitar-solo section, and a long list of other complexities. — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2026 Cloud spending, which grew unpredictably when the technology was new, can now be forecast using years of historical data. — Ameya Kanitkar, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026 This movement from the moon causes Earth’s rotation to slow — but our planet’s rotation also fluctuates unpredictably from year to year. — Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026 Jazz was unpredictably fluid, a group mind thinking in real time. — Ian Penman, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026 But patients also need confidence that review standards will not shift unpredictably after sponsors and investigators have designed trials in consultation with the agency. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 14 July 2026 Children played with buscaniguas, small chasing firecrackers that darted unpredictably across the ground. — Literary Hub, 1 July 2026 Although flu seasons can vary in disease severity, the virus mutates so unpredictably that pandemic flu seasons – like those in 1918, 1957, 1968 and 2009 – are a recurring possibility. — Katrine L. Wallace, The Conversation, 24 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unpredictably

Adverb

Meanwhile, while work continues, lanes on Southwest Eighth Street at 109th Avenue, and Southwest 109th Avenue from Seventh Terrace to Sixth Street will close intermittently.

— Amaia Gavica, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2026
Louis Garrel and Jasmine Trinca play a bookseller and actress with an obvious attraction who lives cross intermittently while they are involved with other partners.

— Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of intermittently

Adverb

The participants in the meditation group slept more fitfully, with more frequent awakenings, than those who didn’t meditate.

— Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026
Martin Filler The Met’s new Tristan und Isolde was a vocal triumph for Lise Davidsen and Michael Spyres, but Yuval Sharon’s staging only fitfully captured the essence of Wagner’s masterpiece.

— The New York Review of Books, The New York Review of Books, 23 May 2026

Definition of fitfully

Adverb

Jimothy’s popularity has — perhaps unintentionally — raised public awareness of the importance of accepting people with illness or disability.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026
Ford said Thursday that Trump unintentionally strengthened Canada by forcing it to reduce its dependence on the United States.

— Rob Gillies, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of unintentionally

Adverb

Likewise, a professional who identifies strongly with a particular school of thought — in economics, medicine, management, or technology — will tend to unconsciously favor sources that reinforce that framework and discount those that challenge it.

— Big Think, Big Think, 21 Aug. 2026
But in reality, of course, this is just happening almost unconsciously.

— Jinae West, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of unconsciously

Adverb

The needle accidentally punctured Taylor’s lung, causing chest pain and difficulty breathing.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026
The confession came as Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones reacted to a video of a mom digging through a ball pit after her daughter accidentally dropped her phone inside.

— Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 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 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of unpredictably

adverb

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