unwittingly
Americanadverb
-
without meaning to; unintentionally.
Users who visit infected websites could unwittingly download malware that steals information in their computers.
-
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.
Etymology
Origin of unwittingly
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Other than the cool trophies and the Diamondbacks trampling, the most notable show Thursday was unwittingly staged by Dodger Stadium itself.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026
And, as much as I hate to unwittingly side with network executives, a new iteration that featured Gellar as anything other than its shining star wouldn’t have the dynamism of the original series.
From Salon • Mar. 26, 2026
It is a fitting occasion to recall how George Harrison, railing against Britain’s confiscatory tax regime, unwittingly helped create the template for this market.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026
"If they fail - wittingly or unwittingly - then the situation will remain in the 'managed rivalry' bucket," he says.
From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026
The group had unwittingly strayed to the easternmost edge of the Col, at the lip of a 7,000-foot drop down the Kangshung Face.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
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.
