unawares
adverb
un·awares
ˌən-ə-ˈwerz 
1
: without design, attention, preparation, or premeditation
As to my pronunciation, it improved rapidly and unawares.—
George Santayana
George Santayana2
: without warning
—used to describe something that happens unexpectedly
The rain caught us unawares.[=we were not expecting rain]
She was taken unawares[=by surprise] by the change in plans.
Examples of unawares in a Sentence
the thunderstorm caught us unawares, and we scrambled to get off the ridge as lightning started to flash
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Being caught unawares on one too many rain showers in Iceland, Thailand, and even the streets of Chicago has taught me to never travel without a good rain jacket.
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Still, workers were caught unawares by the shutdown, Ball and Nava said.
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The unfinished portrait drawing was a Regency fashion, as executed by professional society artists Thomas Lawrence and Richard Cosway, where the intention was to capture personality unawares, unstudied, as in life.
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Karthika Gupta, Travel + Leisure, 9 Nov. 2025
Still, workers were caught unawares by the shutdown, Ball and Nava said.
—Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2025
While the Terrans struggle to suppress a rebel faction incensed by humanity's alliance with the alien Vasudans, they're caught unawares by the return of an existential threat to the peace-loving species of the galaxy.
—Alan Bradley, Space.com, 7 Oct. 2025
The unfinished portrait drawing was a Regency fashion, as executed by professional society artists Thomas Lawrence and Richard Cosway, where the intention was to capture personality unawares, unstudied, as in life.
—Literary Hub, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unawares
Cite this Entry
“Unawares.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unawares. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unawares
adverb
un·awares
ˌən-ə-ˈwa(ə)rz
-ˈwe(ə)rz
1
: without knowing : unintentionally
2
: without warning : by surprise
taken unawares
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