unaware

[ uhn-uh-wair ]

adjective

1. not aware or conscious; unconscious:

   to be unaware of any change.

   Synonyms: unsuspecting, unknowing, ignorant

adverb

1. unawares.

unaware

/ ˌʌnəˈwɛə /

adjective

1. postpositive not aware or conscious (of)

   unaware of the danger, he ran across the road

2. not fully cognizant of what is going on in the world

   he's the most unaware person I've ever met

adverb

1. See unawares
   a variant of unawares

Derived Forms

• ˌunaˈwareness, noun
• ˌunaˈwarely, adverb

Other Words From

• una·warely adverb
• una·wareness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unaware¹

First recorded in 1585–95; un- ¹ + aware; compare Middle English unywar ( y- )

Example Sentences

Horn disputed the claims in a statement citing the group’s reluctance to properly address the allegations against Weaver, which she said she was unaware of prior to the news reports.

From Washington Post

Menjívar further emphasized the population is unaware of the regional legislative body’s work and recognized that even her own party has not made it known, so she has promised to change that if she is elected.

From Washington Blade

What’s more, some people might never develop symptoms and remain unaware of a second infection.

From Science News

She keeps us constantly on edge, unaware of who the story will go to and what event might happen next.

From Washington Post

Einstein, who called the waves gravitationswellen, was unaware that any such big events existed in the cosmos.

From Science News

But Erdoğan is either unaware of that or sought to simplify history.

From The Daily Beast

Teens may be unaware of the potential for their private images to end up being disseminated.

From The Daily Beast

Her former boss, three thousand miles away in New York, was unaware of so many things.

From The Daily Beast

The bigot today is often unaware either that he has prejudices or that he is indulging them.

From The Daily Beast

It seems the braggart was unaware of the changes in the law.

From The Daily Beast

Young Lamb's big cigar has been out long ago; but he pulls hard at it, wholly unaware of the fact.

From Project Gutenberg

Soon the couple excited attention, of which both seemed to be wholly unaware.

From Project Gutenberg

It was a limitation of Thomas Hutchinson's excellent administrative mind that lie was wholly unaware of this crisis.

From Project Gutenberg

She is, no doubt, utterly unaware of the real identity of this brisk, hard-working doctor.

From Project Gutenberg

When she was unaware of the name she was accustomed to address all males by the epithet "man."

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• heedless
• negligent
• oblivious
• unconcerned
• unfamiliar
• uninformed