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

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

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

At 21, George Usher has spent most of his life unwittingly researching his first professional acting role - as Liam Gallagher.

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026

The nation faces some tough questions following the unwittingly hilarious performance of U.S.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026

Had my father unwittingly taken it with him?

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

Related Words

• accidentally
• unintentionally