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.
Unaware of the secret report but now anxious that he was under surveillance, Faqir saw Hala and her family one last time in Tartus later that summer.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 29, 2025
Unaware and uncaring that there’s an option to be anything else, and just swimming, until the thought is introduced in your mind that that’s somehow wrong to do?
From Salon • Sep. 30, 2025
Unaware that he was severely allergic to glycol, a chemical component for the stage smoke used in concerts, Bunbury was forced to cancel his 35th anniversary tour in 2022.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2025
Unaware that he’d been called for a pitch-clock violation, he was perplexed when Red Sox leadoff hitter Jarren Durran started running to first base after what Kirby presumed was ball three.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 29, 2024
Unaware that the Diricawl could vanish at will, Muggles believe they have hunted the species to extinction.
From "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling
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.
