unexpectedly
/ʌnɪkˈspɛktɪdli/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.71 in modern English
27
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
5
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
adv
In an unexpected manner.
Example Sentences
- "Near-synonyms: against expectations, against all odds, surprisingly"
- "[…] she was startled by unexpectedly meeting her husband, who was coming to seek her."
- "Other evidence of former ownerships such as notice-boards, number plates, and makers' plates, are often discovered unexpectedly."
- "The maw-worm could emerge unexpectedly from any orifice, including, most alarmingly, the corner of people's eyes."
- "Texas House Democrats’ historic quorum break unexpectedly ended Thursday evening when at least three new Democrats returned to the floor, paving the way for state Republicans to pass restrictive voting legislation."
Etymology
From unexpected + -ly or un- + expectedly.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ʌnɪkˈspɛktɪdli/
Inflected Forms
more unexpectedly (comparative)
most unexpectedly (superlative)
Synonyms
against expectations
against all odds
surprisingly
by chance
accidentally
circumstantially
out of the blue