unwitting

adjective

un·​wit·​ting ˌən-ˈwi-tiŋ How to pronounce unwitting (audio)
1
: not knowing : unaware
kept the truth from their unwitting friends
2
: not intended : inadvertent
an unwitting mistake
unwittingly adverb

Examples of unwitting in a Sentence

He kept the truth from his unwitting friends. an unwitting victim of fraud
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The dramatic events are accompanied by American jazz music and appearances of musicians of the early 1960s, plus a concert by Louis Armstrong, who, as an unwitting puppet of the CIA, gave a concert to an audience of 100,000 in the Congo as a distraction from the machinations of the West. Joanne Shurvell, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024 Errani, an unwitting trailblazer, can laugh at the fact that the underarm serve has come back into fashion, certainly on the men’s side, over the past few years. Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 21 Nov. 2024 Released about six months after Independence Day, this snarling adaptation of the 1960s Topps trading cards came across as an unwitting send-up of that invasion movie’s cheerful, gung-ho, big-spectacle inanity. Will Leitch, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2024 Catherine is a femme fatale, and Jonathan is her unwitting prey. Ben Travers, IndieWire, 18 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for unwitting 

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of unwitting was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near unwitting

Cite this Entry

“Unwitting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unwitting. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

unwitting

adjective
un·​wit·​ting ˌən-ˈwit-iŋ How to pronounce unwitting (audio)
ˈən-
1
: not intended : inadvertent
an unwitting mistake
2
: not knowing : unaware
unwittingly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on unwitting

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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