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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unaware
not informed about or aware of something
the poor woman has been the unknowing target of some pretty vicious gossip
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unknowing
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
See All Example Sentences for unknowing
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
See All Example Sentences for unknowing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unknowing
Adjective
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The oldest boy of 11 children was determined to succeed, but not naive.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Aug. 2025
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As naive as that may sound in a world where so many self-evident rights and wrongs are being routinely, dishonestly evaluated and reevaluated, the series elevates simple truths in ways that are downright inspirational.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Over one-third of American adults are unaware of HPV or the HPV vaccine, according to a new research letter published Thursday in the journal JAMA Oncology.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
14 Aug. 2025
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Overall, one in three adults nationally are unaware of the connection between HPV and cancer, reveals a study from the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center in South Carolina.—
Hannah Millington,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The video then hard cuts to Noem jumping out of an ICE vehicle and gunning down an innocent puppy in the street.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
7 Aug. 2025
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On the way back to her workstation after the 0830 all clear, Masako indulged this innocent conceit by regaling some of her Kenjo coworkers with a claim about her father’s apparently magical ability to protect himself and his family from American bombs.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Joe is willfully ignorant—to national news and a lethal pandemic—but Aster didn’t write the character as a one-dimensional MAGA standee.—
Madison Bloom,
Pitchfork,
17 July 2025
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Yet Americans are surprisingly ignorant about our past.—
John C. Goodman,
Forbes.com,
29 July 2025
Adjective
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But it was intended to be a simple, three-course meal, the documents showed.—
Chiara Eisner,
NPR,
16 Aug. 2025
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In North Carolina, Republicans are a few votes shy of a supermajority in one chamber but still control the redistricting process because the state’s congressional maps are not subject to veto and therefore can be passed by a simple majority in the legislature.—
Elena Shao,
New York Times,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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She’s been in the news a lot for tone-deaf or oblivious comments.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
28 July 2025
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Note that the chart’s focus is exclusively on the trade in goods, oblivious to the global trade in services.—
Robert Goulder,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
Adjective
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Imagine the Buffs unlocking the zone read on an unsuspecting Big 12.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
9 Aug. 2025
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In one case, they were stuck on top of payment portals, sending unsuspecting individuals to sites meant to steal their personal and financial data (e.g., passwords and credit card information).—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unknowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unknowing. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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