unintended consequence

noun

An outcome of a purposeful action that is not intended or foreseen.

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Meanings

noununintended consequence (plural unintended consequences)

plural unintended consequences · alternative unanticipated consequence · alternative unforeseen consequence

  1. in pluralAn outcome of a purposeful action that is not intended or foreseen.

    Over the past several years we’ve learned a lot about the unintended consequences of social media. Platforms intended to bring us closer together make us angrier and more isolated.

    2019 May 4, Bret Stephens, “Facebook’s Unintended Consequence”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
epiphenomenon

Origin

Popularized by sociologist Robert K. Merton.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

unintended consequence. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unintended%20consequence

MLA

“unintended consequence.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unintended%20consequence. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “unintended consequence,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unintended%20consequence.

Source: unintended consequence on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.