as in inadvertently
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Recent Examples of unwittingly
After the first season found Sam Nelson (Idris Elba) unwittingly involved in the hijacking of a plane, Season 2 of the show takes things underground, as Sam is part of a hijacking of a U-Bahn subway train in Berlin, specifically on the U5 route.
—
Barry Levitt, Time, 4 Mar. 2026
But then the forests themselves start coming to life when they’re not supposed to, consuming the humans unwittingly trespassing on their land.
—Literary Hub, 2 Mar. 2026
Her succession-hungry son, Titus (Dave Franco), eagerly awaits his ascendance from grub to winged sovereign and is unwittingly helped along by Mabel.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 2 Mar. 2026
Yas is not stumbling into evil unwittingly or being forced by circumstance.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026
While Levin and his organization may have unwittingly become part of the story, his advice to continue using TMZ as a conduit for communication with authorities further centered the media’s role — not just in reporting the case, but directly influencing law enforcement’s investigation.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026
What emerges is a portrait of Interlochen as an institution that celebrated openness, but that in accepting Epstein's financial support became unwittingly associated with his crimes.
—Ava Berger, NPR, 19 Feb. 2026
Fairchild played the free-wheeling bon vivant Nora Tyler Bing on five episodes of the sitcom classic, unwittingly embarrassing Perry's Chandler Bing to the delight of his pals.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Feb. 2026
Meth users, for instance, typically smoke the drug, and commingling pipes with people who use fentanyl risks meth users overdosing after unwittingly smoking leftover fentanyl residue.
—Lev Facher, STAT, 12 Feb. 2026
Barry Levitt, Time, 4 Mar. 2026
But then the forests themselves start coming to life when they’re not supposed to, consuming the humans unwittingly trespassing on their land.
—Literary Hub, 2 Mar. 2026
Her succession-hungry son, Titus (Dave Franco), eagerly awaits his ascendance from grub to winged sovereign and is unwittingly helped along by Mabel.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 2 Mar. 2026
Yas is not stumbling into evil unwittingly or being forced by circumstance.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026
While Levin and his organization may have unwittingly become part of the story, his advice to continue using TMZ as a conduit for communication with authorities further centered the media’s role — not just in reporting the case, but directly influencing law enforcement’s investigation.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026
What emerges is a portrait of Interlochen as an institution that celebrated openness, but that in accepting Epstein's financial support became unwittingly associated with his crimes.
—Ava Berger, NPR, 19 Feb. 2026
Fairchild played the free-wheeling bon vivant Nora Tyler Bing on five episodes of the sitcom classic, unwittingly embarrassing Perry's Chandler Bing to the delight of his pals.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Feb. 2026
Meth users, for instance, typically smoke the drug, and commingling pipes with people who use fentanyl risks meth users overdosing after unwittingly smoking leftover fentanyl residue.
—Lev Facher, STAT, 12 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwittingly
Adverb
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In some cases, the department inadvertently released nude photos showing the faces of potential victims as well as names, email addresses and other identifying information that was either unredacted or not fully obscured.—
Alanna Durkin Richer,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
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Slot took the kick-off himself but inadvertently sent his volley backwards, with Zwolle then losing possession.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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Sophie Turner accidentally spoiled the surprise by divulging the cameo casting news at Comic-Con that year — while seated next to Williams.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Never feed bears, intentionally or accidentally.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
11 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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Across airports and aircraft, many older passengers encounter—or unintentionally create—the same challenges.—
Katie Jackson,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
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Though it should be noted that these programs do not directly address co-occurring mental health issues and could unintentionally reinforce unhelpful behaviors.—
Gwilym Roddick,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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Screen or email apnea happens when someone unconsciously holds their breath or breathes more shallowly while looking at their screen to answer emails or texts, explained Dora Kamau, lead mindfulness and meditation teacher at Headspace.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
23 Feb. 2026
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Any direct influence probably came out unconsciously.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Then, fortuitously, twice as much snow fell in the mountains that winter as usual.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
7 Mar. 2026
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The margins between top teams have shrunk, intangibles such as fit, culture and identity are more impactful than ever and the number of teams that can aspire to win a national championship seems to have expanded, fortuitously, along with the CFP.—
Ralph D. Russo,
New York Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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Children are not cars whose gas tanks can simply be carelessly overfilled.—
Lauren Arikan,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Mar. 2026
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For the visitors’ winner, Anthony Gordon unwisely attempted to dribble inside his own half and carelessly lost possession.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unwittingly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwittingly. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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