unpredictables
Factors defying forecasts
Unpredictables are things or people whose behavior cannot be reliably anticipated.
The term often appears in discussions of risk and planning, where unpredictables represent factors that resist forecasting: The unpredictables keep us from committing to a firm timeline.
In casual use, unpredictables may refer to eccentric or erratic individuals: She surrounded herself with artists and other unpredictables.
Unorthodox, independent-minded people
- wildcardsUnpredictable factors or elements
- loose cannonsUnpredictable, dangerous individuals
- eccentricsUnconventional people
- nonconformistsThose defying established customs
free spirits · rogues · oddballs · enigmas · renegades · outliers · rebels · unconventional
Unanticipated occurrences
- curveballsUnexpected difficulties or challenges
- twistsRotational bends or turns
- shocksSurprises or disturbs greatly
- contingenciesPossible future events
wildcards · upsets · anomalies · disruptions · complications · unforeseen · setbacks · windfalls
Undetermined quantities
- uncertaintiesStates of incomplete knowledge
- intangiblesThings beyond physical grasp
- imponderablesThings impossible to evaluate
- externalitiesUncompensated effects on others
fluctuations · risks · volatility · randomness · chaos · variability · instability · turbulence
mavericks
Unorthodox, independent-minded people
- wildcardsUnpredictable factors or elements
- loose cannonsUnpredictable, dangerous individuals
- eccentricsUnconventional people
nonconformists · free spirits · rogues · oddballs · enigmas · renegades · outliers · rebels · unconventional · mercurial
surprises
Unanticipated occurrences
- curveballsUnexpected difficulties or challenges
- twistsRotational bends or turns
- shocksSurprises or disturbs greatly
contingencies · wildcards · upsets · anomalies · disruptions · complications · unforeseen · setbacks · windfalls · plot twists
unknowns
Undetermined quantities
- uncertaintiesStates of incomplete knowledge
- intangiblesThings beyond physical grasp
- imponderablesThings impossible to evaluate
externalities · fluctuations · risks · volatility · randomness · chaos · variability · instability · turbulence · unforeseeable
- unpredictablessurprises, chance, randomness, uncertainty, wild cards
unpredictablescertainties
Assured truths
sure things · knowns · guarantees · foregone conclusions · reliables
- unpredictable weatherAtmospheric conditions without pattern