1
as in accidental
happening by chance
backyard digging that resulted in unintended damage to buried phone wires
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in spontaneous
not made or done willingly or by choice
a response that yielded an unintended insight into her personal character
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unintended
Ventilating your garage this way can also have other unintended safety consequences, like break-ins and critters.
—
Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 20 Mar. 2026
Refresh cycles were designed to be repeatable, with quality checks that reduced noise and prevented unintended drift.
—Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
Current formulations of the drug also persist in the bloodstream for long periods, which can have unintended consequences.
—Michal Ruprecht, NPR, 16 Mar. 2026
Musing about unintended consequences, Oosterhoff mentioned the myth of Pandora’s box and Goethe’s tale of the sorcerer’s apprentice.
—Charles Lane, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unintended
Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 20 Mar. 2026
Refresh cycles were designed to be repeatable, with quality checks that reduced noise and prevented unintended drift.
—Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
Current formulations of the drug also persist in the bloodstream for long periods, which can have unintended consequences.
—Michal Ruprecht, NPR, 16 Mar. 2026
Musing about unintended consequences, Oosterhoff mentioned the myth of Pandora’s box and Goethe’s tale of the sorcerer’s apprentice.
—Charles Lane, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unintended
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unintended
Adjective
-
The latest data leak is potentially more damaging to Anthropic than the earlier accidental exposure of the company’s draft blog post about its forthcoming model.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Each accidental catch potentially removes an animal that was alive before the Industrial Revolution.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Placental insufficiency, in which the organ fails to develop or function properly, is a leading cause of spontaneous preterm birth, experts say.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2026
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That kind of flexibility leads to spontaneous nights where what started off as an intimate hang expands into an all-out party.—
Sammy Loren,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Some countries, like the Baltic nations, will be unwilling to upset Trump given their proximity to the war in Ukraine.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2026
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Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz is limited to its ability to disrupt tanker traffic with drones and missiles, deterring commercial shipping unwilling to take the risk.—
Newsweek Editors,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In comparison, the United States sees more than 4,000 unintentional drowning deaths each year, the CDC said.—
Hali Smith
March 21,
Idaho Statesman,
21 Mar. 2026
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But, royal biographer Kitty Kelley reported, Diana’s decision to wear the choker as a headband was an unintentional one.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unintended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unintended. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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