unwary
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unwary
Explanation
Someone who's unwary isn't careful — in fact, an unwary person might be a little bit reckless. When your unwary cousin travels to China, he might end up being overcharged for a rickshaw ride. When you don't know the potential dangers or challenges that lie in front of you, you're unwary. While unwary people aren't overly suspicious or cautious, they run the risk of being taken advantage of or even getting hurt. To be wary is to be very watchful or cautious — it comes from the Old English root wær, "prudent, aware, or alert," and unwary combines it with un, or "not."
Vocabulary lists containing unwary
The Jungle
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Stories of Ourselves
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A Wizard of Earthsea
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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.
See Examples For:
Namely, the dangers they present to unwary small investors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
The creepiest by far is “dead men’s fingers,” Decaisnea fargesii, whose pewter-blue, fingerlike fruits stand out against butter-yellow foliage and reach out to unwary visitors.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 17, 2023
And every so often, the hungry earth opens into a sinkhole, eating everything in sight and beckoning the unwary into a maze of shifting waters and wind tunnels.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2023
There is no suggestion of environmental police guarding the entrances to Eryri, removing single-use plastic from unwary visitors.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2023
The Iron Throne was full of traps for the unwary.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
A franc a day is what is paid in these parts by lodgers, chiefly officers, and no more would be asked of the wealthiest or unwariest.
From Holidays in Eastern France by Matilda Betham-Edwards
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.
