unknowing

1 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 aw-shucks, dewy, dewy-eyed, green, ingenuous, innocent, naïf (or naif), primitive, simple, simpleminded, uncritical, naive, unsophisticated, unsuspecting, unsuspicious, unwary, unworldly, wide-eyedRelated Words callow, childish, immature, inexperienced, raw; childlike, idealistic, impractical, unrealistic; believing, credulous, gullible (also gullable), susceptible, trustful, trusting, unguarded; beguiled, duped, gulled, tricked; careless, heedless, thoughtlessNear Antonyms critical, cynical, doubting, incredulous, skeptical, suspecting, suspicious, unconvinced; careful, cautious, guarded, leery (also leary), wary, watchful; down-to-earth, hardheaded, pragmatic (also pragmatical), realistic, sober; street-smart, streetwiseAntonyms cosmopolitan, experienced, knowing, sophisticated, worldly, worldly-wise

2 not informed about or aware of something the poor woman has been the unknowing target of some pretty vicious gossip Synonyms clueless, incognizant, innocent, insensible, nescient, oblivious, unacquainted, unaware, unconscious, uninformed, ignorant, unmindful, unwittingRelated Words uneducated, unschooled, untaught; absent, absentminded, abstracted, heedless, inattentive, inconscientNear Antonyms au courant, hip, plugged-in, up-to-date; educated, knowledgeable, schooled, taught; heedful, observant; sensitive, sentientAntonyms acquainted, aware, cognizant, conscious, conversant, grounded, informed, knowing, mindful, witting