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
-
When their son Hamnet dies suddenly, Agnes and William are thrown into unimaginable grief, which the Bard then channels into arguably the most influential play of all time.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
28 Feb. 2026
-
From wry self-effacement, the Screen Actors Guild has suddenly opted for self-erasure.—
Thomas Doherty,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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For a team that’s trying to lose for draft positioning lately, the Jazz deployed an unexpectedly competitive game plan.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
3 Mar. 2026
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The Netflix show, about a group of Black Londoners who unexpectedly develop superpowers, has racked up hundreds of millions of hours following its launch in 2024.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unawares.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unawares. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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