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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
While Americans in the U.S. have been indicted for knowingly taking part in the North Korean IT worker scheme by renting out their identities or hosting laptop farms in their homes, in Kim’s experience, the Americans who were involved in the scheme were unwitting. Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 2 July 2025 Reporting from human intelligence assets – spies or unwitting informers with firsthand or secondhand knowledge – may provide information on internal Iranian assessments. Joshua Rovner, The Conversation, 2 July 2025 Dinneen deemed it a work of filth that never should have passed the Chicago Board of Censors and been allowed to contaminate the locals, especially unwitting churchgoers. Literary Hub, 24 June 2025 That’s right, the FBI warns that bad actors have hijacked over a million of these devices with malware, turning them into unwitting participants in a global cybercrime network. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 12 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for unwitting

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

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Cite this Entry

“Unwitting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unwitting. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.

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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