unwitting

[uhn-wit-ing]

adjective

1. not intentional or deliberate; inadvertent; accidental.

   His insult, though unwitting, pained her.

2. not knowing; unaware; ignorant; oblivious; unconscious.

   an unwitting person.

unwitting

/ ʌnˈwɪtɪŋ /

adjective

1. not knowing or conscious

2. not intentional; inadvertent

Other Word Forms

• unwittingness noun
• unwittingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of unwitting¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English unwittende; un- ¹, wit ², -ing ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of unwitting¹

Old English unwitende, from _un- ¹ + witting, present participle of witan to know; related to Old High German wizzan to know, Old Norse vita

Example Sentences

Of all the disturbing trends I’ve been made unwitting witness to in the hyper-technological age, cheering for someone’s unemployment stands out as one of the most grotesquely cruel.

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And it was this that may have led him to becoming an unwitting Russian recruit.

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On Friday we published an article exposing these drug dealers who are selling vape liquid laced with spice to unwitting teenagers through adverts posted on the social media site.

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Watching his victims struggle to stay alive is cinema to this twisted soul and Zephyr will be his next unwitting protagonist.

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It also reflected a concerted effort by Trump and other prominent conservative figures to single out Hernandez, individually, as an unwitting poster child for such concerns.

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Related Words

• forgetful 
• inadvertent 
• uninformed 
• unsuspecting