Synonyms of unaware

unaware 1 of 2

adjective

ˌən-ə-ˈwer 

as in oblivious

not informed about or aware of something

she was unaware of the change in travel plans

Synonyms & Similar Words

• oblivious
• ignorant
• unmindful
• uninformed
• unconscious
• clueless
• unknowing
• unwitting
• in the dark
• innocent
• incognizant
• unacquainted
• nescient
• uneducated
• insensible
• unschooled
• untaught
• absent
• heedless
• inattentive
• abstracted
• absentminded
• inconscient

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• aware
• conscious
• cognizant
• knowing
• acquainted
• informed
• mindful
• grounded
• conversant
• taught
• hip
• up-to-date
• knowledgeable
• educated
• witting
• observant
• sensitive
• plugged-in
• schooled
• sentient
• au courant
• heedful

unaware

2 of 2

adverb

as in suddenly

without warning

the predawn attack took the airmen completely unaware

Synonyms & Similar Words

• suddenly
• unexpectedly
• unawares
• all of a sudden
• aback
• off base
• abruptly
• unanticipatedly
• surprisingly
• short
• amazingly
• astoundingly

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• slowly
• obviously
• sluggishly
• leisurely
• tardily
• laggardly
• pokily

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of unaware

Adjective

Even influencers working for Tenet Media were unaware of the source of that funding. — RenÉe Diresta, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026

In the first installment, most of the kids are buoyant, unaware, their eyes glittering with naïveté. — Lauren Jackson, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026

Merry banqueters on the rear wall appeared unaware of the demons crawling up the side wall, as though ready to burst into the chamber itself. — Jacqueline Ortoleva, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2026

By then, fire had ravaged the community; the report suggests that incident commanders were unaware of the devastation. — Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026