as in unwittingly
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Recent Examples of unconsciously
Screen or email apnea happens when someone unconsciously holds their breath or breathes more shallowly while looking at their screen to answer emails or texts, explained Dora Kamau, lead mindfulness and meditation teacher at Headspace.
—
Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 23 Feb. 2026
Any direct influence probably came out unconsciously.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 19 Feb. 2026
Shaw’s tenor saxophone has the affect of a vital organ—something pulsing unconsciously underneath the more willful mechanics of a body (or in this case, band) in motion.
—Linnie Greene, Pitchfork, 17 Feb. 2026
Stafford played unbelievably, unconsciously, and should win the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award in a week and a half.
—Jourdan Rodrigue, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
That was a privilege to have that much time to process something, almost unconsciously but also consciously.
—Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 6 Jan. 2026
What art aims for consciously or unconsciously—that boundary between mystery and what can be known, between the hidden and what can be seen.
—Literary Hub, 15 Dec. 2025
That’s because some patients may unconsciously feel stressed about the blood pressure checkup at the doctor’s office, which can actually raise blood pressure rates and keep the doctor from getting an accurate reading.
—Fran Kritz, Verywell Health, 29 Nov. 2025
The author recalled having a nightmare about his own family and unconsciously tapping into his personal dilemmas, which provided the basis for the book by the time the sun rose.
—Julie Tremaine, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 23 Feb. 2026
Any direct influence probably came out unconsciously.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 19 Feb. 2026
Shaw’s tenor saxophone has the affect of a vital organ—something pulsing unconsciously underneath the more willful mechanics of a body (or in this case, band) in motion.
—Linnie Greene, Pitchfork, 17 Feb. 2026
Stafford played unbelievably, unconsciously, and should win the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award in a week and a half.
—Jourdan Rodrigue, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
That was a privilege to have that much time to process something, almost unconsciously but also consciously.
—Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 6 Jan. 2026
What art aims for consciously or unconsciously—that boundary between mystery and what can be known, between the hidden and what can be seen.
—Literary Hub, 15 Dec. 2025
That’s because some patients may unconsciously feel stressed about the blood pressure checkup at the doctor’s office, which can actually raise blood pressure rates and keep the doctor from getting an accurate reading.
—Fran Kritz, Verywell Health, 29 Nov. 2025
The author recalled having a nightmare about his own family and unconsciously tapping into his personal dilemmas, which provided the basis for the book by the time the sun rose.
—Julie Tremaine, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unconsciously
Adverb
-
After the first season found Sam Nelson (Idris Elba) unwittingly involved in the hijacking of a plane, Season 2 of the show takes things underground, as Sam is part of a hijacking of a U-Bahn subway train in Berlin, specifically on the U5 route.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
4 Mar. 2026
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But then the forests themselves start coming to life when they’re not supposed to, consuming the humans unwittingly trespassing on their land.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
In some cases, the department inadvertently released nude photos showing the faces of potential victims as well as names, email addresses and other identifying information that was either unredacted or not fully obscured.—
Alanna Durkin Richer,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
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Slot took the kick-off himself but inadvertently sent his volley backwards, with Zwolle then losing possession.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Across airports and aircraft, many older passengers encounter—or unintentionally create—the same challenges.—
Katie Jackson,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Though it should be noted that these programs do not directly address co-occurring mental health issues and could unintentionally reinforce unhelpful behaviors.—
Gwilym Roddick,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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Occasionally, another animal, such as a raccoon or dog, or a person, will accidentally eat an infected animal, or the slime of one, and contract the disease.—
Susanne Rust
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Not accidentally with a swollen or exploding battery, but intentionally with a miniature cigarette lighter built into the top.—
Eric Zeman,
PC Magazine,
5 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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Who’s casually driving around Marietta Square with that kind of payload?—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
10 Mar. 2026
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The baby blue shade is on-trend and so easy to dress-up with kitten heels or wear casually with sneakers and a sweater.—
Kaitlin Clapinski,
InStyle,
10 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Children are not cars whose gas tanks can simply be carelessly overfilled.—
Lauren Arikan,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Mar. 2026
-
For the visitors’ winner, Anthony Gordon unwisely attempted to dribble inside his own half and carelessly lost possession.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
2 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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Then, fortuitously, twice as much snow fell in the mountains that winter as usual.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The margins between top teams have shrunk, intangibles such as fit, culture and identity are more impactful than ever and the number of teams that can aspire to win a national championship seems to have expanded, fortuitously, along with the CFP.—
Ralph D. Russo,
New York Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
That standard would uphold the NCAA’s interpretation of the waiver rule so long as the NCAA didn’t act arbitrarily or capriciously, either of which is difficult to show.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
There are questions about the rights of citizens versus non-citizens, the rights of the US to pull visas arbitrarily.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
16 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unconsciously.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unconsciously. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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