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
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
The swiftness with which the market changed their stripes caught us unawares and big gains weren’t taken.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for 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
The swiftness with which the market changed their stripes caught us unawares and big gains weren’t taken.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unawares
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unawares
Adverb
-
Not for nothing, Diaz said the album’s once-silly, punny title is suddenly not so hilarious.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
11 Nov. 2025
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Sadly, set-ups around this intense huis clos are often labored, with storylines that fizzle out and characters who become suddenly pivotal and then recede into the background.—
NPR,
NPR,
11 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
The Ghostbusters actress discussed a sketch that made SNL head honcho Lorne Michaels unexpectedly lose it during an interview with the Good One podcast.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Nov. 2025
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When two unexpectedly return, the town dares to hope again.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unawares.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unawares. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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