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

As the Chinese men shoot the breeze and play cards, a mob of armed white miners gathers over the hill and encroaches on the unsuspecting outsiders. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 26 Jan. 2026

Creepy campfire tales of a ghostly demon who causes still-births for unsuspecting mothers the world over doesn’t help her own peace of mind. —Pete Hammond, Deadline, 25 Jan. 2026

These orders were then used to bill Medicare for equipment that recipients neither requested nor needed, exploiting the identities of hundreds of unsuspecting seniors. —Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026

Police said that Silvestre’s estranged husband, Michael Diego, 39, shot the couple and fled in his vehicle before getting a ride from an unsuspecting citizen to near Cosumnes River Boulevard and Bruceville Road. —Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 19 Jan. 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