unsuspecting

adjective

un·​sus·​pect·​ing ˌən-sə-ˈspek-tiŋ 

: unaware of any danger or threat : not suspecting

unsuspecting victims

unsuspectingly adverb

Synonyms of unsuspecting

• naive
• innocent
• inexperienced
• simple
• unwary

Examples of unsuspecting in a Sentence

sidewalk vendors selling bogus gems to unsuspecting tourists

Recent Examples on the Web

London — Images of masked men riding along London's streets on mopeds or electric bikes and snatching phones straight out of the hand of unsuspecting tourists and locals have gone viral in recent years. — Emmet Lyons, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026

Under Mitchell, Pecora showed, the nation’s largest bank had become an impeccably groomed racketeering enterprise, dressing up crooked enterprises as gilt-edged to sell their bonds and stocks to unsuspecting buyers. — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026

Boys trolled the streets bearing sticks, sometimes embedded with nails, both to lift hats from an unsuspecting wearer’s head and to physically intimidate those who resisted. — Michele Metych Britannica Editors Sep. 4, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Sep. 2026

However, officials have yet to determine exactly what type of animal is ambushing the unsuspecting humans. — Julia Gomez, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1595, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unsuspecting

• disconnecting
• disinfecting
• interjecting
• intersecting
• recollecting
• reconnecting
• redirecting
• resurrecting
• unreflecting
• affecting
• bisecting
• collecting