unwittingly

American  

[uhn-wit-ing-lee] / ʌnˈwɪt ɪŋ li /

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.

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Etymology

Origin of unwittingly

unwitting ( def. ) + -ly

Explanation

When you do something unwittingly, you don't do it on purpose. It's completely accidental or unintentional, like when you unwittingly offended the Queen by not curtseying properly. If you know exactly what you're doing, you're not doing it unwittingly; you're doing it intentionally. This adverb comes from unwitting and its Old English root unwitende, "ignorant." Wit means "knowledge," so if you do something unwittingly, you act without knowledge. If you post too much personal information online, you might unwittingly set yourself up to have your identity stolen.

Example Sentences

The surveillance capitalism system requires people to unwittingly participate in a manipulative cycle of group- and self-surveillance.

From Salon • Apr. 23, 2026

Looksminning has been unwittingly developed in the labs of happily married suburban dads for decades.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

Some devices ship with residential proxy software pre-installed on them—this can happen with certain low-cost video-streaming systems—and sometimes people download the code unwittingly to their smartphones.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

The BBC revealed key evidence was unwittingly destroyed at the start of the investigation, according to investigators who worked on the case.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

“He used potent magic to transform the captured fairy into an imp, unwittingly opening the door for magical retribution.”

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull

Related Words

• accidentally
• unintentionally