01
ungewollt
unintended
Not intended; happening without intention or a plan.
example
Das war eine ungewollte Nebenwirkung des Medikaments.
That was an unintended side effect of the medication.
ungewollt
unintended / unwanted
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Word structure
The word consists of the prefix 'un-', which expresses negation, and 'gewollt', the past participle of 'wollen' (to want). So it literally means 'not wanted' or 'not intended'.
EXAMPLE
Das war ein ungewollter Fehler im System.
That was an unintended error in the system.
Context clue
The exact meaning depends on the context. If 'ungewollt' refers to an action or result, it means 'unintended'. If it refers to a person or thing that is being rejected, it means 'unwanted'.
EXAMPLE
Durch einen ungewollten Klick hat er die Datei gelöscht.
With an unintended click, he deleted the file.
Use as an adverb
'Ungewollt' can also be used as an adverb to describe a verb. In this case, it almost always means 'unintentionally' or 'accidentally'.
EXAMPLE
Er hat sie mit seiner Bemerkung ungewollt gekränkt.
He unintentionally hurt her with his comment.
Compare with
ungewollt vs zufällig
random / by chance
'zufällig' and 'ungewollt' can both express that something was not planned. The difference lies in the focus: 'zufällig' emphasizes chance, meaning that something simply happened that way. 'ungewollt' emphasizes that someone did not want or intend it. Learners may confuse the words because both can happen without a plan. If you want to say that something happened through luck or chance, 'zufällig' fits. If you want to say that something happened against someone's wishes or without intention, 'ungewollt' fits better.
ungewollt
Beim Aufräumen habe ich ungewollt ein wichtiges Papier weggeworfen.
While tidying up, I accidentally threw away an important paper.
zufällig
Wir haben uns nach dem Kurs zufällig an der Bushaltestelle getroffen.
We ran into each other by chance at the bus stop after the course.
In real life
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