unawares
while not aware or conscious of a thing oneself; unknowingly or inadvertently.
without warning; by surprise; suddenly; unexpectedly: to come upon someone unawares.
Origin of unawares
1Words Nearby unawares
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use unawares in a sentence
It’s bad news if a flash flood comes when people are caught unawares, stuck at home, or in traffic.
I found it extremely disheartening that even after so many years of dealing with the war’s aftershocks, I can still be caught unawares of their intensity.
And, while these shifts are designed to make search easier for consumers, many businesses have been caught unawares, losing visibility on Google.
How marketers can adapt to Google’s local SEO changes | Corey Patterson | November 24, 2021 | Search Engine LandKnow where your risks are, so that you’re not caught unawares when it happens.
Why a global chip shortage is screwing up America’s pickup trucks | Rebecca Heilweil | April 9, 2021 | VoxSuch a woman would be much more difficult to catch unawares than a teenage escort trapped in a motel room.
Indiana Serial Killer’s Confession Was Just the Start | Michael Daly | October 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
As a result, journalists are often caught unawares when they pop.
And yet strange stuff happens all the time that takes investors and traders completely unawares.
Joined by international and Israeli activists, all wearing tee-shirts that read “I have a dream,” they caught the army unawares.
The Italian fleet was caught unawares by British warships, who sunk three cruisers and two destroyers.
This he did till an evil day when Aunty Rosa pounced upon him unawares and told him that he was "acting a lie."
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II | Rudyard KiplingAnd hence, possibly, arose the disquieting sensation that something was gathering, something that might take them unawares.
The Wave | Algernon BlackwoodInstantly the captain sought to take advantage of it, thinking to catch Garnache unawares.
St. Martin's Summer | Rafael SabatiniHe did not dare to call assistance; an unguarded word might have slipped out unawares.
Elster's Folly | Mrs. Henry WoodQueeker had been taken unawares, but he pressed his knees together, knitted his brows, and resolved not to be so taken again.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands | R.M. Ballantyne
British Dictionary definitions for unawares
/ (ˌʌnəˈwɛəz) /
without prior warning or plan; unexpectedly: she caught him unawares
without being aware of or knowing: he lost it unawares
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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