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 The Housewife is certainly at its most potent during those earlier sequences, when Sheridan’s Lelyveld is under the mistaken impression that Hermine Ryan is the unwitting victim rather than the unrepentant perpetrator. — Michael Rechtshaffen, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2026 This goes all kinds of wrong, setting off a viral brouhaha and turning the hapless Owen into an unwitting pariah. — Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026 Donald Trump‘s ruse of hiding in an airport catering truck to secretly switch planes and evade a potential Iranian missile, leaving unwitting reporters and some White House staffers and cabinet members in the threatened Air Force One. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 15 Aug. 2026 And then there is Kerkering, an unwitting symbol for all of this. — Matt Gelb, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unwitting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwitting
  1. accidental
  2. unaware
  3. inadvertent
  4. oblivious
  5. ignorant
Adjective
  • The medical examiner ruled his death accidental, with several secondary causes listed, including heat stress, tachycardia and osteoporosis.
    — Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
  • However, accidental damage and unrelated screen repairs may fall under different coverage terms.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of accidental
Adjective
  • The famed downtown venue is once again operating Thursdays to Sunday, but many have been unaware.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Just a few weeks ago, a survey from UK arbitration service Acas found that two-fifths of employers across all industries were unaware of these changes in law.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of unaware
Adjective
  • The proposal would also establish that technical errors or inadvertent mistakes in the process cannot be a basis to stop the project.
    — Digital Producer, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • In a region as rich with archaeological sites as the American Southwest, the inadvertent disturbance of Native American remains occurs with some regularity.
    — Ryan Devereaux, ProPublica, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of inadvertent
Adjective
  • Here’s the feckless poor, here’s the striving poor, here’s the oblivious cheerful poor, here’s the drug addict, here’s the drunk.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Confident in the safety of their compound, Andrew and the soldiers were oblivious to the boy’s bad intentions.
    — Ron Farina, Hartford Courant, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of oblivious
Adjective
  • Understandably, Penn struggles to hold these disparate points of focus together with a performance that vacillates between disarmingly dopey and almost willfully ignorant of the realities of the 2000s media landscape.
    — Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Some people in the White House treated Jackie as a cipher, ignorant of almost everything happening.
    — Laurence Leamer, Vanity Fair, 14 Oct. 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 8 Nov. 2026.

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