adjective
- Not anticipated.
- usage: "unanticipated and disconcerting lines of development- H. W. Glidden; "unforeseen circumstances"; "a virtue unlooked-for in people so full of energy"; "like a bolt out of the blue"
- synonyms: unanticipated, unforeseen, unlooked-for
adverb
- In a way that was not expected.
- usage: "her brother showed up at the wedding out of the blue"
- synonyms: unexpectedly
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
| APA | WordNet. (2010). out of the blue. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/out_of_the_blue/definitions/1180035 |
| Chicago | WordNet. 2010. "out of the blue" http://smartdefine.org/out_of_the_blue/definitions/1180035 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | WordNet 2010, out of the blue, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/out_of_the_blue/definitions/1180035>. |
| MLA | WordNet. "out of the blue" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/out_of_the_blue/definitions/1180035> |