unwittingly

[uhn-wit-ing-lee]

adverb

1. without meaning to; unintentionally.

   Users who visit infected websites could unwittingly download malware that steals information in their computers.

2. through ignorance; through lack of knowledge or awareness.

   A number of women have been unwittingly lured into this scheme by being told they were working on a very important project.

Word History and Origins

Origin of unwittingly¹

unwitting ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

There was a comical incident when he turned the focus knob and unwittingly brought the face of a distant woolly sheep into close-up view.

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In just seconds, it generated a plot outline about a wedding photographer unwittingly embroiled in a criminal conspiracy.

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The title is not exactly accurate as it applies to Snook’s character or Jenny, played by Fanning, the other parent unwittingly drawn into this nightmare scenario.

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Bonds later testified that he had been administered steroids unwittingly by Anderson, believing they had been flaxseed oil and a rubbing balm.

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He also worries they may be unwittingly pushing lower-income kids into a sustained cycle of poverty.

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Related Words

• accidentally 
• unintentionally