unlooked for

English

Alternative forms

• unlooked-for

Etymology

From un- + looked for + -ed.

Adjective

unlooked for (comparative more unlooked for, superlative most unlooked for)

1. Not expected or anticipated; unforeseen.
   • 1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The life and death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:

     A heavy sentence, my most sovereign liege,
     And all unlook’d for from your highness’ mouth:

   • 1865, “Philoctetes”, in Edward Hayes Plumptre, transl., The Tragedies of Sophocles‎^[1], London: Isbister, Appendix, page 495:

     And now he perisheth
     With this unlooked for, undeservèd death:

   • 1906, Charles G. D. Roberts, chapter 21, in The Heart That Knows‎^[2], Boston: L. C. Page:

     The attack was so utterly unlooked for, and delivered with such force, moreover, from the advantage of the step, that Tommy Coxen was knocked clean over, falling on his back with Seth on top of him.

   • 2002 June 20, Paul Brown, “Pesticide fear for fruit eaters”, in The Guardian:

     Strawberries and cream at Wimbledon next week could have an unlooked-for extra ingredient—an illegal pesticide.

2. Not looked for, not searched for.
   • c. 1590 (date written), G[eorge] P[eele], The Old Wiues Tale. […], London: […] Iohn Danter, for Raph Hancocke, and Iohn Hardie, […], published 1595, →OCLC, [lines 290-292]:

     […] send them to the Well for the water of life: there shall they finde their fortunes unlooked for […]

   • 1722 (indicated as 1721), [Daniel Defoe], The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, &c. […], London: […] W[illiam Rufus] Chetwood, […]; and T. Edling, […], published 1722, →OCLC, page 277:

     This vvas an Adventure indeed unlook’d for, and perfectly undesign’d by me; tho’ I vvas not ſo paſt the Merry part of Life, as to forget hovv to behave, vvhen a Fop ſo blinded by his Appetite ſhould not knovv an old VVoman from a young: […]

Synonyms

• (not expected): unanticipated, unexpected, unforeseen
• (not looked for): unsought

Related terms

• unlooked