unwitting

adjective

ˌən-ˈwi-tiŋ How to pronounce unwitting (audio)
Definition of unwittingnext
1
as in accidental
happening by chance an unwitting mistake made in copying the material

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unaware
not informed about or aware of something an unwitting accomplice to the crime

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unwitting One focuses on Ted as a teenage prodigy attending Harvard in the 1950s who becomes the unwitting victim of abusive experiments by his psychology professor, Henry Murray (Russell Crowe). — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 29 July 2026 Most recently, the meme-stock mania during the Covid-19 pandemic led many unwitting investors to make rash financial decisions. — David Capablanca, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026 Barrett said there is no dispute that MKUltra existed or that unwitting Americans were subjected to drug experiments. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026 Jones entered guilty pleas to two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in schemes to defraud major sportsbooks, including DraftKings and FanDuel, and filch millions of dollars from unwitting poker players. — Chloe Atkins, NBC news, 29 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for unwitting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwitting
  1. accidental
  2. unaware
  3. inadvertent
  4. oblivious
  5. ignorant
Adjective
  • This included expert witnesses who said the child’s death was an accidental drowning brought on by a seizure and a jailhouse informant who recanted his trial testimony that Duncan had confessed to the crime.
    — Richard A. Webster, ProPublica, 31 Aug. 2026
  • In all three cases, authorities have appeared to suggest their deaths were accidental.
    — Ryan Young, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of accidental
Adjective
  • For much of the film, Julián falls for Ry while unaware of her illness or her family ties.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2026
  • But according to records reviewed during a deposition of the park’s director of maintenance, state officials were allegedly unaware that maintenance workers had replaced a wheel on one of the train cars prior to their inspection.
    — Blake Ellis, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of unaware
Adjective
  • Instead, with an inadvertent point of his right index finger, Espada accidentally removed him from the game.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
  • OpenAI’s inadvertent hack of Hugging Face saw its model fire off as many as 300 actions an hour, and a single agent can spawn sub-agents that make tool calls of their own.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of inadvertent
Adjective
  • Lawmakers simply closed their ears to the critics and boldly pushed ahead, either oblivious or indifferent to the consequences to Maryland taxpayers.
    — Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 19 Aug. 2026
  • But her run would not have been possible without the crew of everyday Americans who were completely oblivious to her techniques, lost the game badly, and then got mad at her for it.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of oblivious
Adjective
  • Mamdani’s ignorant opinion illustrates Kissinger’s concern, relying on emotional display rather than the facts.
    — Daniel Kolkey, Oc Register, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Howard Bryant's comparison this week between Cunningham's comments and Colin Kaepernick's protests was both ignorant and desperate.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of ignorant

Browse Nearby Words

unwisely
unwitting
unwittingly
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Cite this Entry

“Unwitting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwitting. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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