Unpredictable

/ˌʌnprɪˈdɪktəbəl/ adjective

Definition

Not able to be foreseen or known in advance; likely to change or behave in unexpected ways.

Etymology

From 'predict' (Latin 'praedicere,' to foretell) plus the prefix 'un-' and suffix '-able.' The word is a 20th-century formation, becoming common as science and statistics developed.

Kelly Says

Quantum physics shattered the illusion that everything is predictable—subatomic particles genuinely behave unpredictably, following only probability waves. This wasn't ancient philosophy; we only proved it in the 1900s!

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