unpredictable

adj, noun — 2 senses

unpredictable

adj

Etymology From un- + predictable.

1

Unable to be predicted.

  • It has, therefore, always been a major problem for South African railways to cater adequately for this unpredictable city; three stations have had to be built on the present site during the last fifty years.1958 September 23, C. Alan Cook, “Johannesburg's Fourth Station”, in Railway Magazine, page 639:
  • Sharks are not unpredictable; for the most part, they do exactly what an apex predator is expected to do.1983, Richard Ellis, The Book of Sharks, Knopf, →ISBN, page 146:
Derived terms
unpredictability, unpredictableness, unpredictably
Related terms
unpredicted, unpredictive

unpredictable

noun

Etymology From un- + predictable.

1

An unpredictable thing.

  • Other unpredictables, like the recent unexpected blizzards and those of 2 years ago, or a hurricane can cost us many thousands of dollars, and have a severe impact on equipment and facilities.1960, United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce. Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Motor Vehicle Safety: Hearing..., page 12:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.