Oförutsägbart

Oförutsägbart is a Swedish adjective meaning unpredictable, i.e., something that cannot be foreseen or anticipated. The form is built by adding the negating prefix o- to förutsägbart, which derives from förutse (to foresee) plus the suffix -bart, indicating a potential or characteristic. The resulting word expresses an absence of reliable foresight.

In usage, oförutsägbart describes events, behavior, outcomes, or processes whose course is not easily predicted. It can function predicatively or attributively: Det var oförutsägbart hur historien utvecklades. Vädret kan vara oförutsägbart. The noun form is oförutsägbarhet, referring to unpredictability as a quality or concept.

Swedish speakers commonly use oförutsägbart to convey nuance beyond merely “oväntat” (unexpected), emphasizing the lack of predictable patterns or foreseen possibilities. It appears in everyday language, journalism, and analysis dealing with risk, politics, economics, or narrative structure, where outcomes or twists defy anticipation.

Related terms include förutsägbar (predictable), oväntad (unexpected), and the abstract noun oförutsägbarhet (unpredictability). The word fits within patterns of negation using o- prefixes and comparative discussion of likelihood and certainty in Swedish.

See also: förutsägbar, oväntad, oförutsägbarhet.