unintended
adjective
un·in·tend·ed
ˌən-in-ˈten-dəd 
: not planned as a purpose or goal : not deliberate or intended
an unintended consequence/effect
an unintended pregnancy
Examples of unintended in a Sentence
backyard digging that resulted in unintended damage to buried phone wires
a response that yielded an unintended insight into her personal character
Recent Examples on the Web
Participants noted that criminal groups often create unintended operational consequences when targeting systems for financial gain.
—
Heather Wishart-Smith,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
The creation of Amarone is one of the wine world’s great accidents, ranking right up there with the unintended secondary fermentation in bottle that created Champagne and the fermentation-stopping addition of neutral spirit to wine barrels that resulted in the production of Port.
—
Mike Desimone,
Robb Report,
28 June 2026
The unintended consequences are severely destabilizing.
—
Andrew McKean,
Outdoor Life,
25 June 2026
Critics argue that the unintended consequence has been a system optimized for enforcement at scale that can, at times, struggle to distinguish between bad actors and legitimate publishers.
—
Aditya Jadhav,
Interesting Engineering,
23 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for unintended
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Heather Wishart-Smith,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
The creation of Amarone is one of the wine world’s great accidents, ranking right up there with the unintended secondary fermentation in bottle that created Champagne and the fermentation-stopping addition of neutral spirit to wine barrels that resulted in the production of Port.
—
Mike Desimone,
Robb Report,
28 June 2026
The unintended consequences are severely destabilizing.
—
Andrew McKean,
Outdoor Life,
25 June 2026
Critics argue that the unintended consequence has been a system optimized for enforcement at scale that can, at times, struggle to distinguish between bad actors and legitimate publishers.
—
Aditya Jadhav,
Interesting Engineering,
23 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for unintended
Cite this Entry
“Unintended.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unintended. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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