as in suddenly
without warning
the thunderstorm caught us unawares, and we scrambled to get off the ridge as lightning started to flash
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Recent Examples of unawares
The unfinished portrait drawing was a Regency fashion, as executed by professional society artists Thomas Lawrence and Richard Cosway, where the intention was to capture personality unawares, unstudied, as in life.
—
Literary Hub, 4 Aug. 2025
Short squeezes can happen when a troubled company bounces back, catching doubters unawares.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 22 July 2025
However, with no standardized dimensions across airlines, travelers have often been caught unawares with incorrectly sized bags when switching between carriers.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 5 July 2025
This was not the first time the Alaska Volcanic Observatory (AVO) had been caught unawares by Veniaminof, even with rigorous monitoring.
—Rosie McCall, Discover Magazine, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for unawares
Literary Hub, 4 Aug. 2025
Short squeezes can happen when a troubled company bounces back, catching doubters unawares.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 22 July 2025
However, with no standardized dimensions across airlines, travelers have often been caught unawares with incorrectly sized bags when switching between carriers.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 5 July 2025
This was not the first time the Alaska Volcanic Observatory (AVO) had been caught unawares by Veniaminof, even with rigorous monitoring.
—Rosie McCall, Discover Magazine, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for unawares
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unawares
Adverb
-
Why is the team suddenly playing stellar defense, after inconsistent performances all season?—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
10 May 2026
-
And when Jalen Brunson banked in a floater with just under four minutes left in the period — a sequence that sent Maxey into frustration and head coach Nick Nurse calling a timeout — the Knicks’ lead suddenly swelled to 12.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
9 May 2026
Adverb
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Lemming leans all the way into the chaos and brings us on an absurdly fun journey with unexpectedly sweet relationship work.—
Erin La Rosa,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
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The process of examining financing options and budgeting applications enables users to control their immediate expenses, which arise from medical emergencies that occur unexpectedly.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unawares.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unawares. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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