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unbeabsichtigte

Unbeabsichtigte is a German adjective form meaning “unintended” or “not intended.” It is used to describe actions, effects or results that occur without the actor’s intention. The word derives from the verb beabsichtigen (to intend) with the prefix un- to indicate negation, and it is commonly paired with nouns to express that something happened by accident or without deliberate planning.

Declension and usage

Unbeabsichtigte appears in attributive position before feminine singular nouns and before plural nouns in certain declensions.

- Eine unbeabsichtigte Folge (feminine singular)

- Die unbeabsichtigte Folge (feminine singular, definite article)

- Unbeabsichtigte Folgen können auftreten (plural, no article)

The corresponding adverb is unbeabsichtigt, used to modify verbs (er hat unbeabsichtigt gelogen).

Contexts and nuance

Unbeabsichtigte is widely used across everyday language, media, law, ethics and policy. Common collocations include unbeabsichtigte

Related concepts

Beabsichtigen (to intend) is the antonymous verb; unbeabsichtigt/ unbeabsichtigtkeit are used to express lack of intentionality.

See also: absichtlich, unbeabsichtigt, beabsichtigen.

Examples:
Folgen
(unintended
consequences),
unbeabsichtigte
Schäden
(unintended
harm),
and
unbeabsichtigte
Inhalte
(unintended
content).
In
legal
and
ethical
discussions,
the
term
helps
distinguish
outcomes
that
were
not
planned
from
those
that
were
deliberately
caused.
Debates
often
contrast
unbeabsichtigte
Folgen
with
absichtlich
(intentionally)
or
vorsätzlich
(deliberately)
actions,
and
may
involve
questions
of
foreseeability
and
responsibility,
as
in
doctrines
of
foreseeability,
risk
assessment,
or
the
doctrine
of
double
effect
in
moral
philosophy.
In
linguistics,
unbeabsichtigte
serves
as
a
typical
example
of
attributive
adjective
endings
in
German
grammar.