unexpectedly
/ˌʌnɪkˈspɛktɪdli/
in a surprising or unanticipated way
The team won the championship unexpectedly.
They did not anticipate winning, making the victory surprising.
general
in a manner that is surprising or not anticipated
She arrived unexpectedly and caught everyone off guard.
Her arrival was a surprise, and no one was prepared for it.
The results came in unexpectedly fast.
The results were delivered much sooner than expected.
Often used to describe events or actions that happen without prior warning or anticipation.
Collocations
unexpectedly wellbetter than anticipatedunexpectedly earlyearlier than expectedunexpectedly latelater than expected
Pro Tip
Usage Tip
Use 'unexpectedly' to emphasize that something happened contrary to expectations.
Word Origin
From 'un-' (not) + 'expected' (anticipated) + '-ly' (adverb suffix).
Usage Notes
Commonly used in both formal and informal contexts to describe surprising occurrences or outcomes.
Word Breakdown
un-
not
prefixexpected
anticipated
root-ly
adverb suffix
suffixEnglish Dictionary