Words / A2

un-ik-SPEKT-id/ˌʌnɪkˈspektɪd/

Unexpected means surprising because you did not think it would happen: an unexpected visitor, unexpected news, completely unexpected. Surprise is the noun or verb cousin. Expected is the opposite. Sudden stresses speed; unexpected stresses “not in the plan”. Do not write unexpected when you mean excepted, or inspected.

Meaning

Surprising because you did not think it would happen.

Examples

• “We had an unexpected visitor on Sunday afternoon.”
• “We had an unexpected day off because of the snow.”
• “The bill was higher than expected — the extra fee was unexpected.”

Good to know

an unexpected visitor / news. Opposite: expected. Cousin idea: surprise. Mix-up: excepted.

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