unintended

Etymology

It is formed from English un- + intended, the past participle of intend.^[2][3][4] The verb intend is from Old French entendre (“to direct one's attention”), from Latin intendō (“to stretch out; to turn one's attention”), from in- (“toward”) and tendō (“to stretch”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Not intended: 1649, in John Milton's Eikonoklastes.^[2] Etymonline dates it to the 1640s,^[3] and the Shorter Oxford to the mid 17th century.^[4]

Semantic evolution

Etymonline notes that it was used from the start of anything not intended, in any sense.^[3] Merriam-Webster gives the narrower sense "not deliberate" as the main one.^[5] The adverb unintendedly followed in the late 18th century.^[4]

Timeline

• 1649 – not intended, in Milton.^[2][3]
• late 18th century – the adverb unintendedly.^[4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Not intended or planned; not deliberate: The new tax had several unintended effects on small shops.^[6][5][2]

Related words

• intend
• intended
• intention
• unintentional

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins