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
-
One’s impression is suddenly modified by the casual strength his handshake conveys, and rightly so, for beneath the elegant lines of his suit are hidden a hard body and the stamina of 10 battalions.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
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But there’s a dark side to this turn against the suddenly middle-aged, passé millennial generation.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
21 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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Typically, Angels work alone, but when the Christmas Connection Department faces the threat of downsizing, Monica and Michael are unexpectedly paired to ensure Daisy and Patrick fall in love before Christmas.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Things might be different now, as MFE this week unexpectedly cleared out the ProSieben C-suite and replacing respected ProSieben CEO Bert Habets with its own CFO, Marco Giordani.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unawares.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unawares. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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