UNPREDICTABLY Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

unpredictably

adverb

as in intermittently

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of unpredictably How these two segments smash together so unpredictably and imaginatively makes this yet another new horror film that thinks outside of the box. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026 Youthful ambition bequeathed them unpredictably shifting time signatures, a daunting nylon-string intro, some odd musical shifts during the guitar-solo section, and a long list of other complexities. — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2026 Cloud spending, which grew unpredictably when the technology was new, can now be forecast using years of historical data. — Ameya Kanitkar, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026 This movement from the moon causes Earth’s rotation to slow — but our planet’s rotation also fluctuates unpredictably from year to year. — Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026 Jazz was unpredictably fluid, a group mind thinking in real time. — Ian Penman, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026 But patients also need confidence that review standards will not shift unpredictably after sponsors and investigators have designed trials in consultation with the agency. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 14 July 2026 Children played with buscaniguas, small chasing firecrackers that darted unpredictably across the ground. — Literary Hub, 1 July 2026 Although flu seasons can vary in disease severity, the virus mutates so unpredictably that pandemic flu seasons – like those in 1918, 1957, 1968 and 2009 – are a recurring possibility. — Katrine L. Wallace, The Conversation, 24 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unpredictably

Adverb

The company said Riley was hired in 2008 and worked there intermittently for a total of slightly more than four and a half years.

— Christopher Harris, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026
In This Article Maintaining a beautiful lawn and garden often means keeping an eye on and managing pesky weeds that crop up intermittently.

— Alexandra Kelly, Martha Stewart, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of intermittently

Adverb

Martin Filler The Met’s new Tristan und Isolde was a vocal triumph for Lise Davidsen and Michael Spyres, but Yuval Sharon’s staging only fitfully captured the essence of Wagner’s masterpiece.

— The New York Review of Books, The New York Review of Books, 23 May 2026
That’s Duncan’s dilemma from the very beginning of this fitfully hilarious episode of The Audacity.

— Scott Tobias, Vulture, 19 Apr. 2026

Definition of fitfully

Adverb

Likewise, a professional who identifies strongly with a particular school of thought — in economics, medicine, management, or technology — will tend to unconsciously favor sources that reinforce that framework and discount those that challenge it.

— Big Think, Big Think, 21 Aug. 2026
But in reality, of course, this is just happening almost unconsciously.

— Jinae West, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of unconsciously

Adverb

Knowing a bailout is coming, however, may inadvertently encourage farmers to sustain their dependence on the risky Chinese export market.

— Chad P. Bown, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2026
Don't Accidentally Reward Complexity Organizations can inadvertently reward complexity because complexity is easier to see than good thinking.

— Mustafa Shreet, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of inadvertently

Adverb

On December 18th, an agent accidentally discharged his gun in a hotel room, hitting the headboard of a bed in the room next door.

— Emily Witt, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
The Young Bucks went for a BTE Trigger, but Cope accidentally speared Cage while trying to break it up.

— Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of accidentally

Adverb

The earnings announcement was fortuitously timed, coming just as reports were surfacing of high-level OpenAI employees joining the company.

— Jordan Novet, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Flor was fortuitously found in Gary, Indiana this week, after severe storms tore through the area earlier this month, leading to widespread power outages, destruction of property and substantial flooding.

— Claire Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of fortuitously

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unpredictable

unpredictably

unprejudiced

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“Unpredictably.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unpredictably. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of unpredictably

adverb

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