Definition of "unanticipated" []

• Not anticipated: We experienced some unanticipated problems. (adjective)
• Usage Problem Not having been expected; unexpected: unanticipated guests. See Usage Note at anticipate. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Allen said cleanup efforts are being hampered by what he described as the unanticipated dispersal of the oil slick on the surface of the gulf into hundreds or thousands of smaller spills."
• "Personnel officials have blamed USAJobs' poor performance on what they call an unanticipated spike in traffic to the site."
• "The information becomes usable in unanticipated ways when the structure is reusable."