1
as in naive
lacking in worldly wisdom or informed judgment
those unknowing people who think that the world is a kindly place are in for a rude awakening
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unaware
not informed about or aware of something
the poor woman has been the unknowing target of some pretty vicious gossip
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unknowing
Was this teacher an unknowing servant of the patriarchy, as Kara Cooney would argue, or a naïve propagandist of the oil industry, as Riggs herself comes to believe?
—
Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 7 Feb. 2022
Obviously, Beth’s unknowing sterilization was a tragic event, a violation of bodily autonomy that nobody should go through.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2021
Their names and emails can then be used by bad actors to target them in various email schemes that can harm unknowing customers.
—Daniel Barber, Fortune, 11 Nov. 2021
Cybercriminals sent phishing emails to millions of users hoping an unknowing individual would open the malicious document.
—Jonathan Fischbein, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2021
See All Example Sentences for unknowing
Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 7 Feb. 2022
Obviously, Beth’s unknowing sterilization was a tragic event, a violation of bodily autonomy that nobody should go through.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2021
Their names and emails can then be used by bad actors to target them in various email schemes that can harm unknowing customers.
—Daniel Barber, Fortune, 11 Nov. 2021
Cybercriminals sent phishing emails to millions of users hoping an unknowing individual would open the malicious document.
—Jonathan Fischbein, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2021
See All Example Sentences for unknowing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unknowing
Adjective
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But Trump's instincts, if naive, are not entirely wrong: a tighter economic vise could move Putin to concessions.—
John Davenport,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Aug. 2025
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These findings show that that argument may have been naive.—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Overall, one in three adults nationally are unaware of the connection between HPV and cancer, reveals a study from the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center in South Carolina.—
Hannah Millington,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Aug. 2025
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Over one-third of American adults are unaware of HPV or the HPV vaccine, according to a new research letter published Thursday in the journal JAMA Oncology.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Instead, Paul reacts with a fury that all but blasts the roof off: walls are bashed in, furniture collapses, a window goes bye-bye, and some innocent goldfish lose their aquarium.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
22 Aug. 2025
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If history is any guide, many innocent people will suffer before the incompetent grovelers and the vain objects of their groveling meet their inevitable fates.—
Robert B. Reich,
Hartford Courant,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Joe is willfully ignorant—to national news and a lethal pandemic—but Aster didn’t write the character as a one-dimensional MAGA standee.—
Madison Bloom,
Pitchfork,
17 July 2025
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Yet Americans are surprisingly ignorant about our past.—
John C. Goodman,
Forbes.com,
29 July 2025
Adjective
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But it was intended to be a simple, three-course meal, the documents showed.—
Chiara Eisner,
NPR,
16 Aug. 2025
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In North Carolina, Republicans are a few votes shy of a supermajority in one chamber but still control the redistricting process because the state’s congressional maps are not subject to veto and therefore can be passed by a simple majority in the legislature.—
Elena Shao,
New York Times,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Note that the chart’s focus is exclusively on the trade in goods, oblivious to the global trade in services.—
Robert Goulder,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
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She’s been in the news a lot for tone-deaf or oblivious comments.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
28 July 2025
Adjective
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Tom Hiddleston just had an unsuspecting reaction to a recent Taylor Swift fact.—
StyleCaster Editors,
StyleCaster,
22 Aug. 2025
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The video concludes with one final unsuspecting lover, seated on a bus with a present wrapped from Tyler next to her, waiting to be unboxed.—
Marina Watts,
People.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unknowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unknowing. Accessed 27 Aug. 2025.
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