unaware
Americanadjective
adverb
adjective
-
(postpositive) not aware or conscious (of)
unaware of the danger, he ran across the road
-
not fully cognizant of what is going on in the world
he's the most unaware person I've ever met
adverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unaware
First recorded in 1585–95; un- 1 + aware; compare Middle English unywar ( see y-)
Explanation
Unaware is simply the opposite of "aware." If you are unaware, you have no idea what's going on. To be unaware is to be totally incognizant (but not incontinent). To be "caught unawares" means you were caught off guard or by surprise. Either way you've got your head in the clouds about something. Now some people might say that ignorance is bliss, but the guy in the crosswalk who was unaware of the bus barreling down on him at full speed might disagree.
Vocabulary lists containing unaware
Novel Study: Of Mice and Men, Chapters 1–3
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Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
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"Shakespeare dumbed down in comic strips for bored pupils"
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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.
The owner was said to have been unaware that providing ants in food was prohibited in South Korea, as they are used as food elsewhere.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and a new survey suggests that many men remain unaware of a potential dietary risk factor.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
The “Ted Lasso” writers aren’t entirely unaware of the most obvious concerns that come with tasking Ted with wrangling a team of disparate female personalities.
From Salon ● Sep. 10, 2026
A spokeswoman for Hernandez was unaware of the judge’s order dismissing the case against Alvarez and could not immediately comment Wednesday morning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
All, of course, were happily unaware that their pleasant, anonymous town was quite doomed.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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.
