unsuspecting

adjective

un·​sus·​pect·​ing ˌən-sə-ˈspek-tiŋ 

: unaware of any danger or threat : not suspecting

unsuspecting victims

unsuspectingly adverb

Synonyms

• aw-shucks
• dewy
• dewy-eyed
• green
• ingenuous
• innocent
• naïf
• naif
• naive
• naïve
• primitive
• simple
• simpleminded
• uncritical
• unknowing
• unsophisticated
• unsuspicious
• unwary
• unworldly
• wide-eyed

Examples of unsuspecting in a Sentence

sidewalk vendors selling bogus gems to unsuspecting tourists

Recent Examples on the Web

Following his release, Powell tracks down the children and marries their unsuspecting mother, using his charm and religious facade to manipulate the family. —Travis Bean, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025

These operations involve hundreds of thousands of unsuspecting people across Asia and forces them to work under inhumane conditions, with torture and abuse widely reported. —Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025

Langdon’s behavior has been all over the map, but an unsuspecting audience wouldn’t necessarily assume that those mood swings were a direct result of drug use. —Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 6 Mar. 2025

Cosmic rays from a nearby supernova would soon rain down on the unsuspecting cichlids, tearing apart their DNA, causing the fish to mutate and opening the door for myriad viruses to infect their population. —Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 6 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1595, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unsuspecting

• disconnecting
• disinfecting
• interjecting
• intersecting
• recollecting
• reconnecting
• redirecting
• resurrecting
• unreflecting
• affecting
• bisecting
• collecting