unwitting
Americanadjective
-
not intentional or deliberate; inadvertent; accidental.
His insult, though unwitting, pained her.
-
not knowing; unaware; ignorant; oblivious; unconscious.
an unwitting person.
adjective
-
not knowing or conscious
-
not intentional; inadvertent
Other Word Forms
- unwittingly adverb
- unwittingness noun
Etymology
Origin of unwitting
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English unwittende; un- 1, wit 2, -ing 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But in other cases, managers may be taking advantage of unwitting investors.
From MarketWatch
There were the willing and the unwitting, including some whose names appeared primarily in emails Epstein sent to himself.
Now unwitting spectators are yelling fault, filing noise complaints and petitions to curb playing hours that have left authorities in a pickle.
From Barron's
Experts say similar AI tools are being used to create deepfake audio and video of corporate executives to try to pry information out of unwitting employees.
Oddly, that cigar turned out to be an unwitting premonition.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
