unwitting

adjective

un·​wit·​ting ˌən-ˈwi-tiŋ How to pronounce unwitting (audio)
1
: not knowing : unaware
kept the truth from their unwitting friends
2
: not intended : inadvertent
an unwitting mistake
unwittingly adverb

Examples of unwitting in a Sentence

He kept the truth from his unwitting friends. an unwitting victim of fraud
Recent Examples on the Web Catherine is a femme fatale, and Jonathan is her unwitting prey. Ben Travers, IndieWire, 18 Oct. 2024 But the film also tells a parallel story that happened out of view of their public-facing one, in which, over a span of many years, someone posed as Tegan online and lured numerous unwitting fans into emotionally fraught relationships. Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2024 Lydia panics and snaps out of that nightmare, hinting that Beetlejuice isn’t done messing with her and maybe Astrid is the next choice to be his unwitting bride. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2024 Watch Creep on Netflix 12 of 34 A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting This exciting Halloween adventure sees an unwitting babysitter (Tamara Smart) recruited to a secret society of monster-fighting teens. Emy Lacroix, People.com, 4 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for unwitting 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unwitting.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of unwitting was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near unwitting

Cite this Entry

“Unwitting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unwitting. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

unwitting

adjective
un·​wit·​ting ˌən-ˈwit-iŋ How to pronounce unwitting (audio)
ˈən-
1
: not intended : inadvertent
an unwitting mistake
2
: not knowing : unaware
unwittingly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on unwitting

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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