unexpectedly

unexpectedly — adverb

1. if something happens unexpectedly, you did not think it would happen and you are

1.adverbB1
Definition

if something happens unexpectedly, you did not think it would happen and you are surprised by it

Example

Heavy rain fell unexpectedly during the outdoor wedding ceremony.

end-position: adverb after verb

Unexpectedly, Quan received a job offer from a company he had applied to months earlier.

front-position: adverb at sentence start for emphasis

Common collocations
  • die unexpectedly
  • resign unexpectedly
  • arrive unexpectedly
  • happen unexpectedly
  • change unexpectedly
  • appear unexpectedly
  • unexpectedly high
  • unexpectedly warm
  • unexpectedly difficult
Synonyms
  • surprisingly

    more neutral in tone; can be used for events that are merely striking rather than unforeseen

  • abruptly

    emphasises sudden and often unpleasant change, whereas unexpectedly focuses on the surprise element

  • out of the blue

    informal idiom meaning 'completely without warning' — stronger than unexpectedly in suggesting total surprise

Antonyms
  • predictably

    the opposite idea — happening in a way that is expected or foreseen

  • as expected

    adverbial phrase used when events match predictions

Grammar Patterns

unexpectedly + verb

Unexpectedly, + clause

unexpectedly + adjective

Usage Note

Unexpectedly can appear in three positions in a sentence — at the beginning (modifying the whole clause), before the main verb (mid-position), or at the end — without changing the core meaning, though front-position adds the strongest emphasis.

Common Mistakes

The bus suddenly arrived ten minutes early.' (when meaning you did not expect it)
The bus unexpectedly arrived ten minutes early.
'suddenly' focuses on speed or abruptness; 'unexpectedly' focuses on the lack of expectation.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

Unexpectedly is the most neutral of the group, covering any situation where an event was not foreseen. Surprisingly overlaps heavily but sometimes suggests the event was merely striking or remarkable rather than truly unforeseen. Abruptly adds a sharper edge — a change that is both sudden and jarring, often carrying a slightly negative tone. Out of the blue is an informal idiom that implies a complete absence of any signal or warning, making it stronger than unexpectedly. Suddenly differs in that it primarily describes speed or rapid onset, not surprise — a train can suddenly stop even if the stop was expected. For example: 'The power unexpectedly went out during the exam' (neutral, unforeseen) vs. 'The power abruptly went out, cutting off all conversation' (jarring, negative) vs. 'Out of the blue, he announced he was moving to Finland' (informal, total surprise).

surprisingly ↗abruptly ↗out of the bluesuddenly ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • unexpectedly + change
  • unexpectedly + death
  • unexpectedly + visit

Adverbs

  • quite unexpectedly
  • completely unexpectedly
  • totally unexpectedly
  • somewhat unexpectedly

Phrases

  • arrive unexpectedly
  • die unexpectedly
  • happen unexpectedly
  • resign unexpectedly
  • appear unexpectedly

Prepositions

  • unexpectedly for
  • unexpectedly to

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Formed by adding the adverb suffix -ly to 'unexpected', which itself combines the negative prefix un- with 'expected' (the past participle of 'expect'). 'Expect' entered English from Latin 'exspectare' (ex- 'out' + spectare 'to look'), literally 'to look out for'. The word 'unexpected' first appeared in the early 1600s, and 'unexpectedly' followed shortly after in the mid-1600s.