unexpected

adjective
UK: /ˌʌnɪkˈspektɪd/
US: /ˌʌnɪkˈspektɪd/

  1. Not expected or predicted; surprising.

    1. The rain was unexpected, but welcome. [ ] [ ]
    2. The unexpected news of her promotion surprised everyone at the office. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

unanticipated unforeseen surprising abrupt sudden
unexpected adverb

  1. In an unexpected manner.

    1. The car stopped unexpectedly. [ ] [ ]
    2. The company's profits rose unexpectedly due to increased sales. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The phonetic transcription of "unexpected" is /ˌʌnɪkˈspektɪd/ in British English and /ˌʌnɪkˈspektɪd/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "unexpected": unanticipated, unforeseen, surprising, abrupt, sudden.

Example usage of "unexpected": "The rain was unexpected, but welcome.". More examples on the page.