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Synonyms

unintended

British  
/ ˌʌnɪnˈtɛndɪd /

adjective

  1. not intended; unplanned

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Authorities have been aggressively shutting down cybercrime rings—with the unintended consequence of tutoring them in covering their tracks.

From The Wall Street Journal

New laws could lead to unintended consequences for other vital democratic interests that may outweigh uncertain benefits.

From The Wall Street Journal

She has said the changes would better align capital requirements with actual risk and correct unintended consequences from earlier postcrisis rules.

From Barron's

Baroness Lloyd added the amendment "could risk unintended consequences and it would mean acting before listening to what the consultation tells us and what parents and children need".

From BBC

But as with Iraq, the war may produce unintended consequences.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.