unforeseen

adjective
UK: /ˌʌnfɔːˈsiːn/
US: /ˌʌnfɔːrˈsiːn/

  1. Not expected; happening in a way that was not known about or predicted.

    1. An unforeseen problem stopped us.
    2. The company faced unforeseen costs due to the sudden economic downturn.

Synonyms

unexpected accidental chance unanticipated serendipitous unpredicted sudden
unforeseen noun

  1. Something that could not be anticipated.

    1. The unforeseen stopped the travel.
    2. The plan did not account for the unforeseen and its potential consequences.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Synonyms for "unforeseen": unexpected, accidental, chance, unanticipated, serendipitous, unpredicted, sudden.

Example usage of "unforeseen": "An unforeseen problem stopped us.". More examples on the page.