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
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There was so much physical comedy, and setting up jokes, and having to hit the rhythm, and then suddenly something totally tragic happens.—
Jennifer Wilson,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
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An exciting next step would be to study what happens near a quantum phase transition—a point where a material suddenly changes its state, similar to water freezing into ice, but driven by quantum effects.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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Though Euphoria actor Angus Cloud died unexpectedly in 2023 following season 2 of the HBO show, the actor's beloved character, Fezco, lives on in season 3.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Apr. 2026
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In late February, Ellison’s Paramount Skydance prevailed in a nearly six-month bidding war after Netflix unexpectedly bowed out when the elder Ellison agreed to financially back his son’s $111-billion deal.—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unawares.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unawares. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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