Adjective
those unknowing people who think that the world is a kindly place are in for a rude awakening
the poor woman has been the unknowing target of some pretty vicious gossip
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The Mangusta has none, and traveling over tar strips and on certain road surfaces is enough to prompt unknowing passengers to inquire with some urgency as to the source of all that noise.—Car and Driver, 13 Jan. 2023 Now axe-wielding and neck-snapping murderers, the duo have launched into a flesh-seeking rampage, honey-bent on killing not just their former human friend but descending on four unknowing college students staying at home in the woods.—Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Aug. 2022 Pity the unknowing curiste who confuses a resident of the city, a Vichyssois, with a supporter of Pétain’s government, a vichyste.—Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 23 May 2022 Cheung in 1997 watched the handover unfolding on television as an unknowing 4-year-old kindergartner enjoying steamed fish.—Washington Post, 11 Feb. 2022 Was this teacher an unknowing servant of the patriarchy, as Kara Cooney would argue, or a naïve propagandist of the oil industry, as Riggs herself comes to believe?—Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 7 Feb. 2022 Obviously, Beth’s unknowing sterilization was a tragic event, a violation of bodily autonomy that nobody should go through.—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2021 Their names and emails can then be used by bad actors to target them in various email schemes that can harm unknowing customers.—Daniel Barber, Fortune, 11 Nov. 2021 Cybercriminals sent phishing emails to millions of users hoping an unknowing individual would open the malicious document.—Jonathan Fischbein, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2021
Noun
What if at the end of all this there is simply more unknowing?—Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024 Though the romantic tension between the unknowing Aster and the unfortunate Ellie pushes the film forward, the true heart of this story is the blossoming friendship between Ellie and Paul.—Kevin Jacobsen, EW.com, 17 Oct. 2023 Live in the mutability of photographic deception, but remain diligent, for the future is a playground of constant knowing and unknowing, unraveling and remaking.—Jason Parham, WIRED, 16 Oct. 2023 To show care to myself and to the people who live here and our continued questioning and unknowing.—Krista Stevens, Longreads, 20 Sep. 2023 But the unknowing offense does not justify your treating it as a high insult.—Miss Manners | Judith Martin, Anchorage Daily News, 25 July 2023 Deer flies especially are relentless pests known to strike at any unknowing passerby which crosses their path.—Detroit Free Press, 22 July 2023 Marsden made a silent promise in the setting to put all jokes on the actors — never on the unknowing Gladden.—Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 12 July 2023 The scent folded into the fabric may no longer be detectable to the unknowing nose.—Terrance Hayes, The New York Review of Books, 29 June 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unknowing.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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