unpredictability
Lack of pattern
Unpredictability is the quality of being impossible to foresee or anticipate.
It can be neutral or positive—the unpredictability of live theater—or threatening: the unpredictability of his temper.
Markets, weather, and human behavior all exhibit unpredictability.
The word often implies that planning or preparation is futile.
Randomly determined, statistically describable
- aleatoryGoverned by chance
- chanceLikelihood of occurrence
- indeterminacyLack of fixed outcome
- probabilityQuantified chance of occurrence
haphazard · arbitrary · coincidence · serendipity · fluke · lottery · dice · permutation
Irregular change over time
- instabilityTendency toward unpredictable change
- oscillationRepeated back-and-forth movement
- swingsRhythmic back-and-forth movements
- erraticLacking regularity or consistency
turbulence · variability · mercurial · temperamental · explosive · reactive · sensitive · hair-trigger
Absence of organization
- turmoilViolent disturbance or confusion
- pandemoniumState of utter confusion
- bedlamState of wild disorder
- mayhemViolent disorder and destruction
disarray · confusion · havoc · tumult · upheaval · disruption · commotion · instability
Unpredictable urge or notion
- whimSudden arbitrary desire
- impulseSudden urge to act
- ficklenessLack of steadfast devotion
- spontaneityActing without forethought
capriciousness · flightiness · inconstancy · mercurial · quirk · vagary · eccentricity · idiosyncrasy
Lack of firm belief
- ambiguityOpenness to multiple interpretations
- unknownNot yet discovered
- unforeseenNot predicted or expected
- riskPossibility of harm
contingency · speculation · hazard · variability · indeterminacy · guesswork · unforeseeable · unknowable
stochastic
Randomly determined, statistically describable
- aleatoryGoverned by chance
- chanceLikelihood of occurrence
- indeterminacyLack of fixed outcome
probability · haphazard · arbitrary · coincidence · serendipity · fluke · lottery · dice · permutation · nonlinearity
fluctuation
Irregular change over time
- instabilityTendency toward unpredictable change
- oscillationRepeated back-and-forth movement
- swingsRhythmic back-and-forth movements
erratic · turbulence · variability · mercurial · temperamental · explosive · reactive · sensitive · hair-trigger · unstable
disorder
Absence of organization
- turmoilViolent disturbance or confusion
- pandemoniumState of utter confusion
- bedlamState of wild disorder
mayhem · disarray · confusion · havoc · tumult · upheaval · disruption · commotion · instability · turbulence
caprice
Unpredictable urge or notion
- whimSudden arbitrary desire
- impulseSudden urge to act
- ficklenessLack of steadfast devotion
spontaneity · capriciousness · flightiness · inconstancy · mercurial · quirk · vagary · eccentricity · idiosyncrasy · waywardness
doubt
Lack of firm belief
- ambiguityOpenness to multiple interpretations
- unknownNot yet discovered
- unforeseenNot predicted or expected
risk · contingency · speculation · hazard · variability · indeterminacy · guesswork · unforeseeable · unknowable · questionable
astonishment
Intense sudden wonder
- shockViolent sudden disturbance
- startleFrighten suddenly
- revelationSurprising disclosed truth
twist · bombshell · unexpected · jolt · curveball · blindside · ambush · upset · turnabout · eye-opener
- changeabilityvariability, mutability, fickleness, inconstancy, instability
- chaosmayhem, chaotic, pandemonium, bedlam, turmoil
- dangersdanger, peril, hazard, risk, menace
- instabilityinstability, unsteadiness, shakiness, wobbliness, precariousness
- uncertaintyuncertainty, uncertain, unknown, unsure, unclear
- Unreliabilityflakiness, inconsistency, undependability, untrustworthiness, erratic behavior
unpredictabilitypredictability
Capacity to be anticipated
certainty · foreseeability · determinism · inevitability · knowability
unpredictabilitystability
Resistance to displacement
consistency · regularity · reliability · steadiness · constancy
unpredictabilityobviousness
State of being evident
transparency · clarity · intelligibility · comprehensibility · self-evidence