1
as in naive
lacking in worldly wisdom or informed judgment
e-mail scams that take advantage of unwary recipients
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in careless
not paying or showing close attention especially for the purpose of avoiding trouble
a dangerous stretch of desert that has claimed many unwary travelers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in susceptible
readily taken advantage of
unwary consumers who unquestioningly swallow the dubious claims of TV pitchmen
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unwary
Rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have given fraudsters a host of new tools to trick unwary individuals into dishonest schemes.
—
Ranjita Iyer, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
That’s because the agency’s duty is to stand in the way of businesses desiring to push unsafe and ineffective nostrums at unwary consumers, and also in the way of a perverse idea that personal freedom includes the freedom to be gulled by charlatans.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2025
These are unexplainable phenomena scattered throughout the game’s world that can kill an unwary player in an instant.
—Issy Van Der Velde, Rolling Stone, 20 Nov. 2024
The result is that fraudsters have rushed into cryptocurrency, exploiting the complexity and hype to dupe the unwary.
—Hilary Allen, Foreign Affairs, 5 Apr. 2023
See All Example Sentences for unwary
Ranjita Iyer, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
That’s because the agency’s duty is to stand in the way of businesses desiring to push unsafe and ineffective nostrums at unwary consumers, and also in the way of a perverse idea that personal freedom includes the freedom to be gulled by charlatans.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2025
These are unexplainable phenomena scattered throughout the game’s world that can kill an unwary player in an instant.
—Issy Van Der Velde, Rolling Stone, 20 Nov. 2024
The result is that fraudsters have rushed into cryptocurrency, exploiting the complexity and hype to dupe the unwary.
—Hilary Allen, Foreign Affairs, 5 Apr. 2023
See All Example Sentences for unwary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwary
Adjective
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Ma’s description of enormous, glistening grocery stores could be explained as the musings of a person who longs for stability and plentitude, or of a naive character who thinks of America as a land of boundless riches.—
Tope Folarin,
The Atlantic,
8 Nov. 2025
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But these juvenile white sharks may be naive to orcas.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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He was treated for minor injuries at a local hospital and was later issued a summons for no insurance, careless driving and leaving the scene of an accident, officials said.—
Sam Gillette,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
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Jenkins’ fumble was due to careless ball-handling, although two members of his offensive line got bull-rushed, leading to the pressure.—
Walter Villa,
Miami Herald,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The deterioration in the labor market has been concentrated in payroll employment, which is the [datapoint] that is the most susceptible to demographic and immigration changes.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
4 Nov. 2025
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However, Arizona's hot and dry desert climate made Gilbert susceptible to drought and wildfires, causing the low ranking in natural disaster risk.—
Paige Moore,
AZCentral.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
9 Nov. 2025
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Given sun in just the proper dose, which is no more than three or four hours of direct daily exposure, its innocent look of youth may persist for a decade.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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One Coy Hill release even had a special cork made to contain the volcanic whiskey within, which was bottled between 143 and 155 proof—that’s certifiable hazmat, as any whiskey over 140 proof (70 percent ABV) is deemed unsafe to bring onboard an airplane.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
9 Nov. 2025
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Installing strong antivirus software adds real-time protection against phishing, unsafe links, and rogue apps.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Its low ride height makes for easy entry and exit, while a small footprint makes parking a breeze.—
Mark Phelan,
USA Today,
11 Nov. 2025
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Doing so will also make organizing the fridge an easier task once you’re done.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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After Sage Ahrens-Nichols and Jawan Pitts flipped away from original Uli, Nate was vulnerable once the new coalition believed there was no way Rizo Velovic would ever play his immunity idol for the Rad Dad so decided to load all of their votes on the unsuspecting victim.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Nov. 2025
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The story revolves around an ancient species of carnivorous piranhas that are unleashed in the lake, leading to a bloody and wild fight for survival among the unsuspecting revelers.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Critics lambasted those policies as impractical at best, reckless at worst.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
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These reckless policies have deadly consequences.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unwary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwary. Accessed 21 Nov. 2025.
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