Skip to main content
unplanned

unplanned

25 3.5
Happening by chance without getting ready first
  • adjective
  • /ʌnˈplænd/
translation icon : imprevisto
  • We've had a lot of good fortune, but it was all unplanned and a total surprise.
  • unplanned pregnancy
  • unplanned error
  • unplanned decisions

And this is stuff that is unplanned, but not too much.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Four days, one unplanned C-section, one beautiful baby, one tired mum and one sort of tired but not as tired as mum and dad.

  • Is case management effective in reducing the risk of unplanned hospital admissions for older people?

    Academic text (2012)
  • And that is an unplanned impact of technology.

  • It's known as an unplanned pregnancy.

  • Something is obviously wrong when there are three million unplanned pregnancies every year.

    Academic text (2003)
  • I'm just talking about a pleasant, unplanned encounter in the middle of the day.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Almost four in ten women aged 40-44 had had at least one unplanned birth.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Women also gave these answers and added two others: unplanned pregnancies and moving in with their romantic partners.

    Academic text (2015)
  • After engine number two failed, the bird went into an unplanned descent, and the controls stiffened.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • They went on an unplanned adventure after missing their train.

Synonyms

unexpected
vsunplanned
392 2.5

Happening without warning

includes surprise events but also unarranged occurrences
spontaneous
vsunplanned
187 4.2

Happening naturally without planning or outside cause

focuses more generally on lack of arrangement or intent
accidental
vsunplanned
118 3.0

Happening by chance and not planned

is broader, covering lack of arrangement as well as chance
unintended
vsunplanned
53 4.1

Not planned and not done on purpose

also covers cases that were not arranged beforehand
impromptu
vsunplanned
37 6.3

Done or said without preparation

covers both on-the-spot actions and events without planning
unforeseen
vsunplanned
37 4.7

Not expected to happen

is the general condition of not being arranged or intended
unintentional
vsunplanned
26 4.1

Happening by accident

includes both lack of purpose and absence of planning
unscheduled
vsunplanned
20 4.1

Not planned or arranged in advance

covers timing but also any lack of prior arrangement
inadvertent
vsunplanned
15 6.6

Not done on purpose and happening by accident

adds that it also need not be arranged or prepared
unanticipated
vsunplanned
10 5.8

Happening suddenly without warning

is broader, covering both lack of expectation and lack of plan
unrehearsed
vsunplanned
7 5.3

Not planned or practiced before

also covers events not arranged as well as actions done without practice
unforeseeable
vsunplanned
5 6.7

Impossible to know before it happens

is the wider term that includes lack of planning or intent
unpremeditated
vsunplanned
2 7.5

Happening without being planned or thought about first

is the general state of not being arranged or intended
unprompted
vsunplanned
2 6.2

Done without being asked

is broader, including all events not arranged in advance
unheralded
vsunplanned
1 7.4

Happening suddenly without warning

relates generally to events not arranged or intended
unpredicted
vsunplanned
1 5.1

Happening when no one expects it

adds that it also covers lack of prior arrangement
unlooked-for
vsunplanned
1 8.0

Not expected and coming as a surprise

is broader, covering any event lacking prior arrangement
uncalculated
vsunplanned
1 5.6

Not planned or thought about before doing something

is broader, applying to any lack of prior arrangement
unstudied
vsunplanned
1 6.4

Not planned or practiced and seeming natural

is the wider term for anything not planned or intended
unwonted
vsunplanned
  • Literature
1 9.9

Not usual or expected in a situation

focuses on absence of planning rather than mere unusualness
undesigned
vsunplanned
7.3

Not planned or done on purpose

is similar but emphasizes absence of arrangement and intent
unconstructed
vsunplanned
6.0

Speech or action that feels natural and not planned

focuses more generally on absence of planning or intent
unthought-of
vsunplanned
7.9

No one expects it before it happens

is broader, covering all events without prior arrangement
nonscheduled
vsunplanned
4.4

Not planned to happen at a set time

is broader, covering lack of planning beyond timing
unappointed
vsunplanned
5.9

Not arranged in advance for a time or visit

applies more widely to all events lacking prior planning

Antonyms

117 3.9

Done on purpose and not by accident

26 1.0

Arranged before it happens on purpose

Compounds

A sudden violent break of a machine or structure that makes it fall apart

How Planned

deliberate
125 4.1
organized
  • US
19 2.0
planned
26 1.0
unplanned
25 3.5
spontaneous
187 4.2
random
527 3.4

Surface Forms

unplanned positive

Morphology

unplanned = planned (transparent) = un + plan + ed

The prefix 'un-' negates the adjective 'planned', making the meaning clear as 'not planned'.

Etymology

Unplanned starts with the part un- meaning 'not' and ends with plan, which is a word for an idea or map of what you will do, so unplanned means 'not planned' or happening by chance.