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.
Her husband, Mitchell, became an unwitting participant in a trick that was equal parts wholesome and hilarious. Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Aug. 2025 The booth attendant handed him a pair of boxes filled to the brim, an apology for the unwitting prank on North Carolina’s new coach, who also happens to be the most accomplished NFL coach of all time and the biggest new face in college football. David Ubben, New York Times, 25 July 2025 But then pop music is really just endless cycles of unseen corporate overseers field-testing their hunches and schemes on a willing and unwitting public. Armin Rosen, The Washington Examiner, 25 July 2025 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 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unwitting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unwitting. Accessed 21 Aug. 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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