Synonyms of unknowing

unknowing

adjective

ˌən-ˈnō-iŋ 

1

as in naive

lacking in worldly wisdom or informed judgment

those unknowing people who think that the world is a kindly place are in for a rude awakening

Synonyms & Similar Words

• naive
• innocent
• simple
• unsuspecting
• inexperienced
• immature
• naïve
• primitive
• unsophisticated
• unsuspicious
• uncritical
• unwary
• unworldly
• ingenuous
• dewy
• green
• trusting
• simpleminded
• wide-eyed
• childish
• trustful
• believing
• naïf
• careless
• naif
• dewy-eyed
• childlike
• aw-shucks
• gullible
• idealistic
• impractical
• callow
• credulous
• unrealistic
• susceptible
• thoughtless
• heedless
• gullable
• unguarded
• raw
• duped
• tricked
• gulled
• beguiled

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• knowing
• worldly
• experienced
• sophisticated
• critical
• suspicious
• cynical
• cosmopolitan
• skeptical
• incredulous
• careful
• doubting
• watchful
• cautious
• unconvinced
• wary
• worldly-wise
• leery
• realistic
• pragmatic
• guarded
• suspecting
• sober
• leary
• down-to-earth
• hardheaded
• pragmatical
• streetwise
• street-smart

2

as in unaware

not informed about or aware of something

the poor woman has been the unknowing target of some pretty vicious gossip

Synonyms & Similar Words

• unaware
• ignorant
• oblivious
• unwitting
• uninformed
• unconscious
• unmindful
• clueless
• in the dark
• innocent
• nescient
• incognizant
• unacquainted
• uneducated
• insensible
• unschooled
• untaught
• heedless
• inattentive
• absent
• absentminded
• abstracted
• inconscient

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• aware
• knowing
• conscious
• cognizant
• mindful
• informed
• acquainted
• grounded
• conversant
• hip
• taught
• witting
• knowledgeable
• educated
• up-to-date
• observant
• sensitive
• plugged-in
• sentient
• au courant
• schooled
• heedful

Examples of unknowing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Was this teacher an unknowing servant of the patriarchy, as Kara Cooney would argue, or a naïve propagandist of the oil industry, as Riggs herself comes to believe? —Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 7 Feb. 2022

Obviously, Beth’s unknowing sterilization was a tragic event, a violation of bodily autonomy that nobody should go through. —Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2021

Their names and emails can then be used by bad actors to target them in various email schemes that can harm unknowing customers. —Daniel Barber, Fortune, 11 Nov. 2021

Cybercriminals sent phishing emails to millions of users hoping an unknowing individual would open the malicious document. —Jonathan Fischbein, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2021