unwitting

[uhn-wit-ing]

adjective

1. not intentional or deliberate; inadvertent; accidental.

   His insult, though unwitting, pained her.

2. not knowing; unaware; ignorant; oblivious; unconscious.

   an unwitting person.

unwitting

/ ʌnˈwɪtɪŋ /

adjective

1. not knowing or conscious

2. not intentional; inadvertent

Other Word Forms

• unwittingly adverb
• unwittingness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unwitting¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English unwittende; un- ¹, wit ², -ing ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of unwitting¹

Old English unwitende, from _un- ¹ + witting, present participle of witan to know; related to Old High German wizzan to know, Old Norse vita

Example Sentences

Oddly, that cigar turned out to be an unwitting premonition.

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His directness took her by surprise, as did his unwitting use of the Swanburne motto.

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One of the haulage firms was then hired as a subcontractor by an unwitting UK transport company.

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Once there, she became an unwitting participant in covert CIA experiments known as MK-Ultra.

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But they insisted, as did their clients, that they were unwitting pawns, proxies – one might even say "drones" – in a shadow war against the West.

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Related Words

• forgetful 
• inadvertent 
• uninformed 
• unsuspecting