Definition

Adjective: Not anticipated; unexpected; unforeseen. Describes something that happens or appears without being predicted or prepared for.

Usage

Used to describe events, circumstances, results, or qualities that are surprising because they were not expected. It is a formal or literary term, often used in written English.

Examples

• The sudden storm was an unlooked-for complication for the outdoor wedding.
• The team received unlooked-for praise from the company's CEO.
• Her kindness was an unlooked-for virtue in such a competitive environment.

Advanced Usage

• "unlooked-for consequence": An unexpected result, often negative, of an action.
  • The new policy had several unlooked-for consequences that harmed small businesses.
• "unlooked-for opportunity": A chance or possibility that arises unexpectedly.
  • The canceled meeting provided an unlooked-for opportunity to finish the report.

Variants and Related Words

• Unforeseen (adj): Not anticipated or predicted. (More common than "unlooked-for").
• Unexpected (adj): Not expected. (The most common and neutral synonym).
• Unanticipated (adj): Not expected or predicted. (Similar in formality to "unlooked-for").

Synonyms

• Unexpected
• Unforeseen
• Unanticipated
• Surprising
• Sudden

Antonyms

• Expected
• Foreseen
• Anticipated
• Predictable

Idioms and Phrases

• Like a bolt from/out of the blue: Something sudden and completely unexpected. (This idiom conveys a similar meaning to "unlooked-for" but is more dramatic).
  • The news of his resignation came like a bolt from the blue.

Adjective

1. not anticipated
   • unanticipated and disconcerting lines of development- H.W.Glidden
   • unforeseen circumstances
   • a virtue unlooked-for in people so full of energy
   • like a bolt out of the blue