English Explanatory Dictionary

unintended consequence

English dictionary entry

Meanings

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

Word forms

unintended consequence unintended consequences unanticipated consequence unforeseen consequence

Etymology

Popularized by sociologist Robert K. Merton.

Related words

collateral damage side effect you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on U Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary