unexpectedness

IPA/ˌʌnɪkˈspektɪdnəs/
IPA/ˌʌnɪkˈspektɪdnəs/

unexpectedness — noun

1. the quality of being surprising or unusual because you did not plan for it or th

1.nounB2
Definition

the quality of being surprising or unusual because you did not plan for it or think it would happen

Example

Christopher was struck by the unexpectedness of the ending — no audience member had predicted it.

the unexpectedness of + noun phrase (the ending)

The unexpectedness of the spring snowstorm forced many schools in Talia's district to close early.

collocation: the unexpectedness of [an event]

Common collocations
  • the unexpectedness of
  • sheer unexpectedness
  • unexpectedness of the situation
  • unexpectedness of the event
Synonyms
  • surprise

    more common in everyday language; can refer to the feeling itself rather than a quality

  • unpredictability

    focuses on the inability to foresee something, not necessarily on its surprising effect

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

the unexpectedness of [something]

Usage Note

An uncountable noun that is most common in written descriptions and commentaries. It almost always appears with the definite article 'the' and is followed by 'of' + a noun phrase naming the surprising thing or event.

Common Mistakes

The unexpectednesses of travel make it exciting.
The unexpectedness of travel makes it exciting.
'unexpectedness' is uncountable and has no plural form.
I love the unexpectedness when I travel.
I love the unexpectedness of travel.
'unexpectedness' typically requires 'of' + a noun phrase to specify what is surprising.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Both 'surprise' and 'unexpectedness' refer to things that were not anticipated, but they differ in focus. 'Surprise' is the more common, everyday word and can refer either to the unexpected event itself ('What a surprise!') or to the feeling it creates. 'Unexpectedness' is more formal and describes the quality or nature of a situation rather than the emotional reaction — you would say 'the unexpectedness of the plot twist' in a book review, not 'the surprise of the plot twist'. 'Unpredictability' is different again: it suggests that something cannot be known in advance at all, not just that it was not expected on a particular occasion. For example, the weather has unpredictability, but a single sudden rain shower has unexpectedness.

surprise ↗unpredictability ↗unexpectedness ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • the sheer unexpectedness of
  • the very unexpectedness of

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Formed in English from the adjective 'unexpected' (un- 'not' + expected, the past participle of 'expect') and the suffix '-ness', which turns adjectives into nouns meaning 'the quality or state of being'. The root verb 'expect' came into Middle English from Latin 'expectare' (to look out for), made up of ex- 'out' and spectare 'to look.'