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:
And easy money can backfire on the unwary.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 11, 2026
To an unwary listener, that sounds like another major achievement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 18, 2025
But their testimony alone can’t expose the devil’s bargain of realpolitik, which seduces the unwary with the notion that making others suffer will benefit us.
From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2025
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
The defenders had built watchfires along the hank, and perhaps the Lannisters thought to find them night-blind or unwary.
From "A Clash of Kings" 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 Betham-Edwards, Matilda
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.
