as in inadvertently
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Recent Examples of unwittingly
And Pearl, while making his team’s case Thursday, unwittingly did a fine job of spelling out the ills of expansion as well.
—
Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
In one of the play’s loveliest moments, the narrator unwittingly shares his secret project with his college crush, a young woman named Sam who responds in such a compassionate and simpatico manner that a life together is all but assured.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2026
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
Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
In one of the play’s loveliest moments, the narrator unwittingly shares his secret project with his college crush, a young woman named Sam who responds in such a compassionate and simpatico manner that a life together is all but assured.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwittingly
Adverb
-
Hellebuyck misplayed the puck behind the net on a wraparound, inadvertently knocking it out front for Reichel to swat in.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Hellebuyck misplayed the puck behind the net on a wraparound, inadvertently knocking it out front for Reichel to swat in.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
The cops are rendered so clueless and so steadfast in their stupidity, the series accidentally endorses ACAB.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
18 Mar. 2026
-
What started out as the robot’s routine dance and greeting a few weeks ago ran amok when someone — ahem, a human — accidentally ordered up a high-energy act, according to an employee at the Main Street Cupertino restaurant on Stevens Creek Boulevard.—
Linda Zavoral,
Mercury News,
18 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
But new research suggests that regularly using pre-workout could unintentionally counteract your healthy living goals.—
Korin Miller,
SELF,
17 Mar. 2026
-
The interview was subsequently deleted from the journalist’s YouTube page, either because people didn’t get the joke or because the joke was unintentionally revealing.—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
16 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
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
-
Any direct influence probably came out unconsciously.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
On April 28, its board of governors met via Zoom and determined that films that had been intended for a theatrical release prior to COVID would be allowed to qualify that year via the Academy’s members-only streaming service — which, fortuitously, had been opened to all films only months before.—
Scott Feinberg,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Then, fortuitously, twice as much snow fell in the mountains that winter as usual.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
7 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Children are not cars whose gas tanks can simply be carelessly overfilled.—
Lauren Arikan,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Mar. 2026
-
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 24 Mar. 2026.
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