Unexpected Meaning
/ʌnɪkˈspɛktɪd/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjNot expected, anticipated or foreseen.
nounSomeone or something unexpected.
Sentence Examples
That is rather unexpected.
I will be able to see you tomorrow unless something unexpected turns up.
The opposition made unexpected gains in the last election.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
The sudden heavy rain was completely ____, as the forecast had predicted sunshine.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The sudden arrival of my old friend was an ____ surprise that made my whole afternoon much more enjoyable today.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- English expected English unexpected From un- + expected.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"She was a fat, round little woman, richly apparelled in velvet and lace, […]; and the way she laughed, cackling like a hen, the way she talked to the waiters and the maid,[…]—all these unexpected phenomena impelled one to hysterical mirth, and made one class her with such immortally ludicrous types as Ally Sloper, the Widow Twankey, or Miss Moucher."
— 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter II, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
"Certainly unexpected. The P[awn] is overprotected to the best taste of a Nimzowitsch devotee, and there seems to be no drastic weakness in White's camp to justify this intrusion."
— 1936 February, Isaac Kashdan, “My Best Games of Chess”, in Chess Review:
"But the latest Santa Fe development, while not spurring the Rock Island to any further acceleration, has drawn fire from a totally unexpected quarter."
— 1940 May, “Overseas Railways: Acceleration Proceeds in U.S.A.”, in Railway Magazine, page 298:
"The windmill presented unexpected difficulties."
— 1943 November – 1944 February (date written; published 1945 August 17), George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], Animal Farm […], London: Secker & Warburg, published May 1962, →OCLC:
"Providing accommodation is a significant constraint, and an unexpected development from the restoration of services to Okehampton is demand from the Exeter student population to rent local properties."
— 2024 August 21, 'Industry Insider', “The value of rail reopenings”, in RAIL, number 1016, page 68:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The sudden heavy rain was completely ____, as the forecast had predicted sunshine.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The sudden arrival of my old friend was an ____ surprise that made my whole afternoon much more enjoyable today.