unwittingly

adverb

as in inadvertently

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 unwittingly Released by Bristol City after three seasons as a mainstay of their team in the second-tier Championship, the former Manchester United academy kid unwittingly found himself in limbo. — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026 But because Detroit chose the offer from the Los Angeles Dodgers, Skubal has unwittingly become a villain around the league. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026 Basically, Jenner unwittingly proved my theory that baggy denim is the key to making even the most basic pieces look like a fashionable, cohesive outfit. — Jordan Julian, InStyle, 7 Aug. 2026 In 1935, two chemists at Tokyo’s Imperial University synthesized a new molecule and unwittingly launched one of the strangest narratives of the psychedelic age. — Kimon De Greef, Longreads, 4 Aug. 2026 In 2002, two years after the events of the first film, three ghost hunters unwittingly awaken the Marionette. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026 The 35-year-old from Kimberly had unwittingly rolled into a mass shooting that would leave three victims dead and at least seven others wounded on the edge of the Snake River Gorge. — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 2 Aug. 2026 The bright light attracts massive swarms of flying insects, chased by birds, which unwittingly get instantly vaporized mid-air by the invisible, high-temperature beams. — Indrabati Lahiri, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026 Other veterans pushed back, citing similar instances of service members’ unwittingly getting offensive tattoos. — Jasper Craven, New Yorker, 24 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwittingly
  1. inadvertently
  2. accidentally
  3. unintentionally
  4. unconsciously
  5. fortuitously
  6. carelessly
Adverb
  • Krishna Karamkar jumped into floodwaters on July 19 when one of his two sons inadvertently fell into the overflowing Dikhow, which is a tributary of the Brahmaputra.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • But just as Dunham inadvertently evokes strong, sometimes delusional emotions in both her peers and the public, so does Portman.
    — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of inadvertently
Adverb
  • But the program will need strong safeguards to ensure that a corporation does not accidentally start a war.
    — Jill Goldenziel, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The sirens were accidentally activated by DuPage Public Safety Communications.
    — Elyssa Kaufman, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of accidentally
Adverb
  • But the burden of trying to achieve something everyone craved unintentionally, but perceptibly, skewed their priorities.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Her actions unintentionally turn Souta into a three-legged chair by the mischievous cat Daijin, sending Suzume on a journey to rescue Souta and prevent further disasters.
    — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of unintentionally
Adverb
  • But in reality, of course, this is just happening almost unconsciously.
    — Jinae West, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026
  • His opinion will be better received, and people will unconsciously be giving his appearance green flags and listening without any distraction.
    — Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of unconsciously
Adverb
  • And fortuitously, Napalm Death, who played a 19-minute set, espouse the same lefty politics as NPR, in fact maybe even a little more leftist, all things considered, since Barney Greenway wore a Crass T-shirt to the gig.
    — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 15 July 2026
  • Dean Fleischer Camp directed the film, which was originally meant to stream on Disney+, but fortuitously, things changed and, in 2024, the film was given a theatrical release.
    — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 12 June 2026
Definition of fortuitously
Adverb
  • Each model can be useful, and each creates different risks when applied carelessly.
    — Keith Ferrazzi, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026
  • But when leaders use them carelessly, employees may internalize a meaning the leader never intended.
    — Cheryl Robinson, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of carelessly

Browse Nearby Words

unwitting
unwittingly
unwomanly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unwittingly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwittingly. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on unwittingly

Nglish: Translation of unwittingly for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of divulge

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All