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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unwary
Because many tax professionals and taxpayers are unaware of the nuances of section 679, the provision often acts as a trap for the unwary.
—
Matthew L. Roberts, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
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
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
Matthew L. Roberts, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
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
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
-
Set a century before the events of Game of Thrones and 72 years after House of the Dragon, A Knight of Seven Kingdom follows two unlikely heroes wandering Westeros … a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey), and his diminutive squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell).—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
26 Feb. 2026
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That naïve version of myself has since retired.—
Iman Balagam,
Vogue,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Jeffrey Glowatski, 65, pleaded guilty late last year to driving under the influence and careless driving stemming from a 2024 deadly crash along Kuntz Street when 11-year-old Roxanne Bonnoni was hit while crossing the street.—
Mike Darnay,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
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Legendary newspapers are being gutted by careless owners, foreign correspondents fired while still in war zones, local papers shut down entirely.—
Casey Schwartz,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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That’s because, unlike their salaried counterparts, boomers’ asset returns aren’t tied to inflation and are therefore more susceptible to declines in the real value of their disposable income.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
1 Mar. 2026
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Choose less susceptible plants for future plantings.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Still, all these innocent inquiries have me even more on edge.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
26 Feb. 2026
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But if some of the address was a game show, much of it was a bloody Grand Guignol theater of horror stories, almost all about immigrants preying on the helpless and the innocent.—
Tom Nichols,
The Atlantic,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The effort is designed to improve battlefield awareness when getting closer is unsafe or simply not possible.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Thus, streets and sidewalks were expected to be icy and unsafe.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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That requires deep spectroscopy, which will not be easy to acquire.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
3 Mar. 2026
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Anderson’s hallmarks are always easy to recognize, manifesting in different ways across Dior, his eponymous label, and his partnership with Uniqlo.—
Alice Cary,
Vogue,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The items are then either sold to unsuspecting customers or smuggled out of the country.—
J.D. Miles,
CBS News,
25 Feb. 2026
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Or, more aptly, like when an unsuspecting rapper from Philadelphia decided to alter the brain chemistry of every child on the planet by saying the numbers six and seven.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Our soldiers will have to put their lives on the line to defend his reckless decisions.—
Joseph Morton,
Dallas Morning News,
28 Feb. 2026
-
This reckless action puts American troops at risk and edges us toward a wider regional war.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unwary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwary. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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