unwittingly

American  

[uhn-wit-ing-lee] / ʌnˈwɪt ɪŋ li /

adverb

1. without meaning to; unintentionally.

   Users who visit infected websites could unwittingly download malware that steals information in their computers.

2. through ignorance; through lack of knowledge or awareness.

   A number of women have been unwittingly lured into this scheme by being told they were working on a very important project.

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Etymology

Origin of unwittingly

unwitting ( def. ) + -ly

Explanation

When you do something unwittingly, you don't do it on purpose. It's completely accidental or unintentional, like when you unwittingly offended the Queen by not curtseying properly. If you know exactly what you're doing, you're not doing it unwittingly; you're doing it intentionally. This adverb comes from unwitting and its Old English root unwitende, "ignorant." Wit means "knowledge," so if you do something unwittingly, you act without knowledge. If you post too much personal information online, you might unwittingly set yourself up to have your identity stolen.

Example Sentences

Unwittingly, zealous regulators have turned stock markets into the casinos that commissioner Crenshaw deplores.

From Barron's • Jan. 2, 2026

Unwittingly, these new Art Deco-like creations, in formally riffing on what came before, reveal the shortcomings of the original movement—and, somehow, of the show itself.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025

Unwittingly, those employees helped Mast take custody of the child, and she’s been with him ever since.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 14, 2023

Unwittingly they run across the protagonist’s sometime boyfriend, who is depicted as participating in the repression.

From Washington Times • Jul. 9, 2022

Unwittingly, Jan’s desire to protect Mary had helped him.

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright

Related Words

• accidentally
• unintentionally