Unintended

Unintended is an English adjective that describes something not planned, meant, or foreseen. It can modify actions, effects, consequences, or outcomes, indicating a lack of deliberate intent by the agent responsible.

Unintended is formed from the negating prefix un- attached to the verb or past participle intended; its base word intended ultimately derives from Latin intendere, meaning to stretch toward or aim at. The construction is standard in English and widely used in formal and informal discourse.

Used in policy, law, business, and social science, the phrase unintended consequences denotes outcomes that occur despite intentions, often complicating or undermining the original aims. These consequences can be beneficial, neutral, or harmful, and may emerge from complex systems, incentives, or feedback effects. The concept is central to discussions of policy design, risk assessment, and ethics; famous examples include incentives that backfire or regulatory changes that produce unforeseen side effects.

Technology and design frequently encounter unintended effects, such as user behavior diverging from anticipated uses, privacy or security risks, or stability issues arising from new features. In artificial intelligence and data systems, unintended bias or discrimination can arise from data quality, model assumptions, or deployment contexts.

Understanding unintended outcomes encourages precaution, monitoring, and iterative revision in development, regulation, and governance.