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
That can create a trap for unwary taxpayers because the law requires taxpayers to sue for a refund within two years of the IRS disallowing it.
—
Tom Cullinan, Forbes.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Nothing can stop unwary parents from relying on the judgment of Donald Trump or Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to make healthcare decisions for their infants and children.
—Michael Hiltzik, Twin Cities, 16 Oct. 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
See All Example Sentences for unwary
Tom Cullinan, Forbes.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Nothing can stop unwary parents from relying on the judgment of Donald Trump or Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to make healthcare decisions for their infants and children.
—Michael Hiltzik, Twin Cities, 16 Oct. 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
See All Example Sentences for unwary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwary
Adjective
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The filmmaker masterfully integrates the naive art style into the film’s design and animation techniques.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
7 May 2026
-
This movement, known as critical legal studies, was associated with the political left, and its exponents, known as crits, loved to disparage liberal theorists’ devotion to the Constitution as naïve and counterproductive.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
Harden believed a number of his turnovers were careless.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
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Stewart’s successor, Mayor Bobby Sanchez, a Democrat, suspended Blogoslawski in February amid allegations of improprieties, including the careless handling of cash and the backdating of tax payments to avoid interest penalties.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Fruit trees such as peaches, nectarines, and apricots are particularly susceptible to early frost damage.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
10 May 2026
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The plaintiff, Brian Keim, alleged that Trader Joe's made some customers susceptible to identity theft because some stores printed transaction receipts that included the first six and last four digits of customers' credit or debit card numbers, according to filings.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
9 May 2026
Adjective
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The agency noted that criminal charges are allegations and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
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Faced with innocent bystanders being hurt — even killed — during the chases, some agencies have at times called off pursuits in the interest of safety.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
Adjective
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The Austrian Pavilion is probably the talk of the Biennale, featuring Florentina Holzinger’s batshit crazy, borderline unsafe performances.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
8 May 2026
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The test cases—meaning the HTML or other code that triggers an unsafe memory condition—are provided in each one and meet the same criteria Mozilla requires for all bugs to be considered security vulnerabilities in Firefox.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
7 May 2026
Adjective
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Instead of everything being controlled through a single touch-screen, dedicated physical controls and circuits would allow easier servicing of individual components.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 May 2026
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Battista’s physical traits, meanwhile, are easy to spot.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
12 May 2026
Adjective
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This latest discovery is uniquely thrilling, as the flash flood captured these unsuspecting cousins in a moment of daily life.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
3 May 2026
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According to the Marietta Police Department, Constantin would mess with the vehicle's milage before selling them to unsuspecting buyers.—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
America’s reckless military adventure continues.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
12 May 2026
-
Tottenham began to tire and Tel was ultimately punished for his reckless boot in his own box.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unwary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwary. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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