unsuspecting
Britishadjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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.
When Bean finally told his family he was gay, in 1996 — three years before clueing in an unsuspecting public via a Miami Herald article — none of his loved ones blinked.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026
With every highly publicized IPO, there will be scams aimed at getting unsuspecting outsiders “in” on the IPO before its first day of trading.
From MarketWatch • May 12, 2026
Inadequate Home Office checks are allowing them to do so on the basis of little evidence, while their unsuspecting British partners have had their lives turned upside down by the false accusations, lawyers said.
From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026
It came when two brothers dropped their gloves within the first three seconds of a game and started throwing ferocious haymakers at a couple of unsuspecting Canadians.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026
In the hallways, which were always crowded, my face would always surprise some unsuspecting kid who maybe hadn’t heard about me.
From "Wonder" by R. J. Palacio
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.
