unsuspecting
Britishadjective
Other Word Forms
- unsuspectingly adverb
Explanation
If you're unsuspecting, you are innocent and trusting. An unsuspecting tourist will be blissfully unaware that the smiling old lady on the subway has stolen his wallet. If you lack a sense of suspicion or distrust, especially in the face of some kind of danger, you're unsuspecting. A criminal's unsuspecting victims find themselves utterly surprised that they've been robbed, and an unsuspecting hiker wanders right into a bear's den. In both cases, a little bit of suspicion would have served them well.
Vocabulary lists containing unsuspecting
Wonder
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The Hate U Give
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Small as an Elephant
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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.
About three decades ago, an accountant profited from dubious deductions he put on the tax returns of an unsuspecting client.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026
It’s the first of many encounters with unsuspecting citizens, à la the oeuvre of Sacha Baron Cohen.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026
“This rich history can be viewed as a fossil record of all the ways that bad actors have exploited unsuspecting retail and institutional clients,” he and Ross wrote.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026
When he’s not strong-arming unsuspecting customers into hidden upcharges for their cars, he’s trying to gain some control in his meager, unsatisfied life.
From Salon • Feb. 7, 2026
To the unsuspecting sentries on the wall the bundles looked like sleeping forms: they sensed nothing amiss.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
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.
