1
chiefly dialectal
: knowledge or awareness of something : cognizance
2
chiefly dialectal
: information obtained or communicated : news
1
: cognizant or aware of something : conscious
a witting participant
2
: done deliberately : intentional
a witting violation
Examples of witting in a Sentence
Adjective
she was a witting partner; he had told her about the risk involved
your witting assistance in helping the robber escape makes you an accessory after the fact
Recent Examples on the Web
Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 21 May 2019
Why yes, the face smiling beneath that shock of bleach blonde hair does belong to Tom Schwartz, Vanderpump Rules star and a witting or unwitting accomplice (litigation in the court of public opinion is ongoing) in the Scandoval drama that gripped the nation.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 13 Aug. 2023
The overwhelming majority of the Senate knew that Trump was incompetent, corrupt, and dangerous; indeed, many saw him as a witting or unwitting agent of Vladimir Putin.
—Ira Shapiro, The New Republic, 6 May 2022
Marcuse has more disciples, witting or unwitting, than Mill does these days.
—Samuel Goldman, The Week, 21 Mar. 2022
This is, of course, an obvious imbalance and one that would seem to perpetuate a culture of victim-blaming by punishing the (witting or unwitting) distractor and not the distracted.
—Peggy Drexler, CNN, 26 May 2021
Tuesday’s legal filing focuses on a related defense: That the government targeted him for investigation years ago, whiffed on an earlier probe despite issuing numerous subpoenas, then landed a witting foil in Timothy.
—John Simerman, NOLA.com, 2 Sep. 2020
Megan Friedman, Marie Claire, 7 June 2017
These agencies, in turn, viewed Mr. Trump as a witting or unwitting Kremlin agent.
—Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 29 June 2018
Another major unanswered question is whether Mueller's grand jury will charge any Americans as witting participants in the hacking and leaking scheme — including anyone associated with Trump's presidential campaign.
—Ken Dilanian, NBC News, 1 Mar. 2018
Harvey Weinstein built his complicity machine out of the witting, the unwitting and those in between.
—Carina Chocano, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2018
Because the nature of the hostile foreign nation is well known, counterintelligence investigations tend to be centered on individuals the FBI suspects to be witting or unwitting agents of that foreign power.
—Leada Gore, AL.com, 8 June 2017
Let’s continue: Because the nature of the hostile foreign nation is well known, counterintelligence investigations tend to be centered on individuals the FBI suspects to be witting or unwitting agents of that foreign power.
—Monique Judge, The Root, 8 June 2017
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Noun
Today in Russia, conspiracy theories still abound about how the CIA brought down the Soviet Union and how Gorbachev was in reality an unwitting (or perhaps a witting) agent of the Americans.
—Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 21 May 2019
Why yes, the face smiling beneath that shock of bleach blonde hair does belong to Tom Schwartz, Vanderpump Rules star and a witting or unwitting accomplice (litigation in the court of public opinion is ongoing) in the Scandoval drama that gripped the nation.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 13 Aug. 2023
The overwhelming majority of the Senate knew that Trump was incompetent, corrupt, and dangerous; indeed, many saw him as a witting or unwitting agent of Vladimir Putin.
—Ira Shapiro, The New Republic, 6 May 2022
Marcuse has more disciples, witting or unwitting, than Mill does these days.
—Samuel Goldman, The Week, 21 Mar. 2022
This is, of course, an obvious imbalance and one that would seem to perpetuate a culture of victim-blaming by punishing the (witting or unwitting) distractor and not the distracted.
—Peggy Drexler, CNN, 26 May 2021
Tuesday’s legal filing focuses on a related defense: That the government targeted him for investigation years ago, whiffed on an earlier probe despite issuing numerous subpoenas, then landed a witting foil in Timothy.
—John Simerman, NOLA.com, 2 Sep. 2020
Adjective
Because the nature of the hostile foreign nation is well known, counterintelligence investigations tend to be centered on individuals the FBI suspects to be witting or unwitting agents of that foreign power.
—Megan Friedman, Marie Claire, 7 June 2017
These agencies, in turn, viewed Mr. Trump as a witting or unwitting Kremlin agent.
—Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 29 June 2018
Another major unanswered question is whether Mueller's grand jury will charge any Americans as witting participants in the hacking and leaking scheme — including anyone associated with Trump's presidential campaign.
—Ken Dilanian, NBC News, 1 Mar. 2018
Harvey Weinstein built his complicity machine out of the witting, the unwitting and those in between.
—Carina Chocano, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2018
Because the nature of the hostile foreign nation is well known, counterintelligence investigations tend to be centered on individuals the FBI suspects to be witting or unwitting agents of that foreign power.
—Leada Gore, AL.com, 8 June 2017
Let’s continue: Because the nature of the hostile foreign nation is well known, counterintelligence investigations tend to be centered on individuals the FBI suspects to be witting or unwitting agents of that foreign power.
—Monique Judge, The Root, 8 June 2017
Cite this Entry
“Witting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/witting. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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