unhoped-for

7.8

An unexpected pleasant event that brings good results

adjective
/ʌnˈhoʊpt fɔr/

: inesperado

The team's unhoped-for victory in the finals stunned everyone, including the players.

Examples

Winning the lottery was an unhoped-for surprise that changed her life forever.
After months of hard work, he received an unhoped-for promotion at his job.
In this motionless silence, I revealed myself in an unhoped-for and unexpected form.

Fiction book (1998)

Synonyms

unexpected

vsunhoped-for

392 2.5

Happening without warning

is like this but usually implies a positive, not merely neutral, surprise

unforeseen

vsunhoped-for

37 4.7

Not expected to happen

is similar but stresses that the event is pleasantly beyond expectation

unanticipated

vsunhoped-for

10 5.8

Happening suddenly without warning

matches unexpectedness but leans toward a pleasant, unimagined outcome

unforeseeable

vsunhoped-for

5 6.7

Impossible to know before it happens

is similar but conveys a positive surprised effect rather than unpredictability

unimagined

vsunhoped-for

2 7.0

Not thought of before or expected

is unexpected too but focuses more on pleasant surprise than pure imagination

undreamed

vsunhoped-for

2 8.4

Not imagined or expected, even in your wildest dreams

shares extreme surprise but stresses favorable or wished-for outcome

unheralded

vsunhoped-for

1 7.4

Happening suddenly without warning

is unexpected too but focuses more on being a happy surprise than unannounced

unpredicted

vsunhoped-for

1 5.1

Happening when no one expects it

shares lack of prediction but adds a sense of welcome surprise

unthought

vsunhoped-for

1 9.5

Not imagined or expected before

is alike but specifically implies a positive, unimagined benefit

unlooked-for

vsunhoped-for

1 8.0

Not expected and coming as a surprise

is similar but often used when the surprise is happily received

undreamed of

vsunhoped-for

1 7.5

Far greater or more surprising than people ever imagined

carries the same astonishment but highlights a positive unexpectedness

unwonted

vsunhoped-for

Literature

1 9.9

Not usual or expected in a situation

is about unexpected positive surprise, not just unusualness

unhoped

vsunhoped-for

9.9

Very unexpected and better than anyone imagined

is similarly unexpected but emphasizes a positive surprise rather than hope

unthought-of

vsunhoped-for

7.9

No one expects it before it happens

is similar but adds a sense of pleasant or welcomed surprise

Antonyms

imaginable

62 3.6

Possible to think of in your mind

foreseeable

59 4.3

Likely to happen in the near future

expected

1.2

Likely to happen or be true

How Expected

certain

946 1.0

expected

1.2

possible

∞ 1.0

unhoped-for

7.8

unexpected

392 2.5

unimaginable

63 5.4

impossible

∞ 1.4

Surface Forms

unhoped-for positive

Morphology

unhoped-for = hoped-for (transparent) = un + hope + ed + for

The adjective is formed by negating the familiar adjective 'hoped-for' with the productive prefix 'un-', so the meaning is directly derivable.

Etymology

Unhoped-for is made from the parts un- meaning 'not' and hope meaning 'a wish', so hoped-for means 'wished for'. So an unhoped-for event is something you did not expect or even imagine, often a pleasant surprise.