unintended outcome
Accidental end result
An unintended outcome is a result that wasn't planned or anticipated.
The phrase appears frequently in policy discussions, medical contexts, and project management, where actions often produce effects beyond their intended purpose: The policy had the unintended outcome of driving up housing prices.
Unlike unintended consequence, which tends toward the negative, unintended outcome is neutral—the result might be harmful, beneficial, or simply unexpected.
- consequenceResult of an action
- accidentUnintended harmful event
- side effectUnintended secondary outcome
- knock-on effectSecondary consequence of action
- backfireYield unintended consequences
ripple · fallout · collateral · surprise · mishap · unforeseen · blowback · repercussion · twist · irony · double-edged sword · mixed blessing · boomerang · spillover · aftermath · glitch · monkey wrench · oops
unintended, outcome, intend, intended, intent, intention, intentional, intentionally, unintentional