Nonpremeditated

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Not planned or considered beforehand, occurring without prior intention
2. Happening spontaneously without any earlier preparation or deliberate thought
3. Describing an action done on impulse without prior planning or forethought

Etymology: "Nonpremeditated" is a compound built from three pieces: the prefix "non-", meaning "not", attached to "premeditated", which itself comes from "pre-" (before) and "meditated" (thought over), from Latin "meditari", to think upon or contemplate. Put together, the word describes something done without having been thought through in advance. English has two competing ways to negate "premeditated." The older and more common form is "unpremeditated," which takes the Germanic prefix "un-", a native English element whose roots run back through Old English. "Nonpremeditated" uses the Latin-derived prefix "non-", which English writers have long used as a neutral, more technical-sounding negation. The two words mean the same thing, and "nonpremeditated" is simply the less familiar of the pair.

Synonyms: spontaneous, impulsive, unplanned, unintentional, haphazard

Antonyms: premeditated, planned, intentional, deliberate, calculated