unawares
Americanadverb
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while not aware or conscious of a thing oneself; unknowingly or inadvertently.
-
without warning; by surprise; suddenly; unexpectedly.
to come upon someone unawares.
adverb
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without prior warning or plan; unexpectedly
she caught him unawares
-
without being aware of or knowing
he lost it unawares
Etymology
Origin of unawares
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.
Harteveldt also said the airlines are making schedule changes well ahead of peak summer travel season so as not to catch travelers unawares.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 28, 2026
Federal prosecutors disagreed, indicating they were caught unawares by his removal and still hoped to bring Flores to trial — if he ever returns to the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 21, 2026
All of those clips are mesmerizing and alluring and haunting, as if we’re actually looking at invisible spirits or fairies captured unawares.
From New York Times ● Dec. 6, 2024
That the government is always caught unawares shows a depressing underinvestment in the waterworks of its cities and its rural areas.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2023
Alysane Mormont, whose men name her the She-Bear, hidfighters inside a gaggle of fishing sloops and took the ironmen unawares where they lay off the strand.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
