as in inadvertently
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Recent Examples of unwittingly
On the evening of Wednesday, June 10, Margaret McWeeney is believed to have gotten out of her vehicle and unwittingly left the transmission in reverse in the parking lot of Madison Ridge Apartments in Indian Lake, Lancaster County Coroner Karla Deese said in a statement shared with PEOPLE.
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Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 12 June 2026
The regulation of our environment; the presence of chemicals both intentionally and unwittingly in our food, water, air, and land; the ecological fate of all living creatures, and of the earth itself—all these dilemmas and conundrums find urgent expression in Carson’s work.
—Literary Hub, 8 June 2026
All those visitors, however, can and often do unwittingly harm the very things that make that experience so special.
—Eve Chen, USA Today, 8 June 2026
In recent years, Ben Gibbard, one of indie rock’s prevailing figureheads, has unwittingly endured all three.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 6 June 2026
After a day of learning about blackmail wire and unwittingly dodging Dennis the menace, Paula heads to soccer practice and faces yet another obstacle.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 29 May 2026
Many of them can be traced at least as far back as the opening of their new stadium, which has unwittingly become an emblem of what seem like muddled objectives.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 25 May 2026
The authors add that the figure may be an undercount, since some students do not realize their own use breaks a rule, but this undercount is only those who committed the crime unwittingly.
—John Drake, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026
In 2024, for example, federal prosecutors filed an indictment alleging that Russian state media employees had paid nearly $10 million to a Tennessee company that paid popular right-wing social media influencers to unwittingly produce pro-Russia content.
—Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026
Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 12 June 2026
The regulation of our environment; the presence of chemicals both intentionally and unwittingly in our food, water, air, and land; the ecological fate of all living creatures, and of the earth itself—all these dilemmas and conundrums find urgent expression in Carson’s work.
—Literary Hub, 8 June 2026
All those visitors, however, can and often do unwittingly harm the very things that make that experience so special.
—Eve Chen, USA Today, 8 June 2026
In recent years, Ben Gibbard, one of indie rock’s prevailing figureheads, has unwittingly endured all three.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 6 June 2026
After a day of learning about blackmail wire and unwittingly dodging Dennis the menace, Paula heads to soccer practice and faces yet another obstacle.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 29 May 2026
Many of them can be traced at least as far back as the opening of their new stadium, which has unwittingly become an emblem of what seem like muddled objectives.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 25 May 2026
The authors add that the figure may be an undercount, since some students do not realize their own use breaks a rule, but this undercount is only those who committed the crime unwittingly.
—John Drake, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026
In 2024, for example, federal prosecutors filed an indictment alleging that Russian state media employees had paid nearly $10 million to a Tennessee company that paid popular right-wing social media influencers to unwittingly produce pro-Russia content.
—Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwittingly
Adverb
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When the first skydiver emerged, a handle securing their reserve chute got caught on the plane’s flap over the wing, prompting the chute to deploy inadvertently, according to a video and a report about the incident released Thursday by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.—
Mithil Aggarwal,
NBC news,
12 Dec. 2025
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Another officer returned fire, striking the man who shot the officer, but also inadvertently striking the 18-year-old victim again, police said.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
9 Dec. 2025
Adverb
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In one particularly unfortunate incident, according to Axios, the CFO of a company accidentally racked up half a billion dollars in Claude usage fees in a single month.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
11 June 2026
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In many coastal communities, beachgoers must use straw mats instead of towels to avoid accidentally taking sand off the beach caught in the fibers.—
Barbie Latza Nadeau,
CNN Money,
11 June 2026
Adverb
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Tourists out for a walk found a dead stallion on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, and experts suspect he was unintentionally killed by another wild horse.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
15 June 2026
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The former New England Revolution center-back insulted the former Late Late Show host — seemingly unintentionally — during a World Cup broadcast on Fox on Friday.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 June 2026
Adverb
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When ear met in 2024 at transfer student orientation at Bard, both were emerging from their own antisocial caves, unconsciously looking for their other half.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
15 June 2026
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Grip, weight, angle, fragility—humans process this unconsciously, perfected by evolution.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Adverb
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In The Data Center This achievement was less about fortuitously being in the ideal position and more about a strategic approach.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2026
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Some folks in the band’s organization initially wanted to partner with a big beer company, but fortuitously, somebody countered idea with Dogfish Head.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
26 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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But also just a touch ironic — like a man handing out fire safety pamphlets while carelessly flipping burgers over a bonfire on his porch.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Aug. 2025
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The days of carelessly grabbing your beach bag, towel, and bikini and heading to the beach are long gone.—
Erica Wertheim Zohar,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unwittingly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwittingly. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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