UNWITTINGLY Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

unwittingly

adverb

as in inadvertently

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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 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 Robert is unwittingly entrapped, and has absconded with something mob bigwig Lombardi wants revenge for. — Leigh Haber, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026 Recent reporting suggests Thiel has extended the argument to Pope Leo XIV directly, framing the current pope’s openness to AI regulation as making him—unwittingly—a vehicle for the same dynamic. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 18 July 2026 Over the ensuing centuries, well-meaning conservators applied glue to prevent paint from flaking away, unwittingly speeding the frescoes’ deterioration. — News Desk, Artforum, 29 June 2026 But most canoeists unwittingly pass right over them. — Hank Bradshaw, Outdoor Life, 24 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwittingly

Adverb

Created by Tessa Coates, Ride or Die is a spy action comedy about an assassin, Judith (Waddingham) whose latest case inadvertently involves her best friend of more than 20 years, Debbie (Spencer), a politician’s wife.

— Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 4 Aug. 2026
While catching tuna, fishing vessels also inadvertently catch other species, like sharks.

— NPR, NPR, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of inadvertently

Adverb

The Workforce Risk No One Briefed You On Most insider threat programs were built for a specific problem like the employee who shares credentials, accidentally exposes data or leaves with proprietary files, but that’s not the reality of today.

— Steve Wilson, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
And while there’s fun to be had with the premise of the three characters constantly and accidentally switching places — most often in the middle of a space fight) — the meandering script unfortunately tries to do too much.

— EW Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of accidentally

Adverb

In one scenario, Irregular also gave the models a fictional target company whose name unintentionally matched the domain of a real website.

— J.D. Capelouto, semafor.com, 7 Aug. 2026
The program was designed for people who unintentionally fell out of compliance, which describes most expats who have fallen behind.

— Nathalie Goldstein, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of unintentionally

Adverb

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
There is also bias at play, which affects decision-making, even unconsciously.

— Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 July 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

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“Unwittingly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwittingly. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of unwittingly

adverb

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