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unwitting

unwitting

17 6.7
Not aware of what is happening and not done on purpose
  • adjective
  • /ʌnˈwɪtɪŋ/
translation icon : inconsciente
  • Meet the Bellingers, the unwitting stars of their own real-life sitcom.
  • an unwitting accomplice
  • an unwitting agent

Trump as an unwitting agent of the Russian Federation.

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Examples

  • I'll go pay my respects to our unwitting host.

  • Systems analyst Ivan Leviev hacked into our central surveillance database and tracked Deputy Mayor Robert Watts, the unwitting courier of the bomb.

  • So the commander, though, is completely unwitting, which is crazy.

  • Trump as an unwitting agent of the Russian Federation.

    GQ
  • Did you ever consider what would have happened if any of these substances were given to, say, unwitting people?

  • Warriors, for instance, were more than the unwitting agents of British military policy.

    Academic text (2014)
  • Often, the unwitting purchaser is illiterate and does not know this is the case.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Of course, the ultimate irony is that David Gale... a man who became an unwitting martyr... may achieve in death what he worked for... but could not accomplish in life.

  • Some saw the countess as a cunning opportunist... ...others as an unwitting pawn of the monarchy.

  • The researchers warned that the unwitting participants may not realize the full implications of their involvement.

Synonyms

ignorant
vsunwitting
367 3.7

Not knowing about something or how it works

is about immediate unawareness or unintentional action, not general lack of learning
accidental
vsunwitting
118 3.0

Happening by chance and not planned

includes not noticing events, not only random occurrence
unconscious
vsunwitting
108 4.1

Not aware of what you do or not acting on purpose

is similar but also stresses lack of deliberate purpose
oblivious
vsunwitting
76 6.3

Not noticing what happens around you

is about being unaware without implying accidental action
unintended
vsunwitting
53 4.1

Not planned and not done on purpose

also implies absence of awareness as well as lack of plan
unsuspecting
vsunwitting
53 4.2

Not aware that someone might harm or trick you

is broader, meaning unaware generally, not only danger expectation
unintentional
vsunwitting
26 4.1

Happening by accident

combines lack of awareness with lack of purpose
inadvertent
vsunwitting
15 6.6

Not done on purpose and happening by accident

adds sense of being unaware rather than only accidental
unknowing
vsunwitting
5 5.8

Not aware that something is happening or true

focuses more on lack of awareness than on accidental result
unmindful
vsunwitting
1 7.2

Not aware of what is happening around you

can also be unintentional but includes careless lack of attention
inconscient
vsunwitting
9.9

Doing something without thinking, often as a habit

emphasizes missing awareness plus no intention

Antonyms

2.7

Knowing that something exists or is happening

117 3.9

Done on purpose and not by accident

2 8.6

Knowing something and doing it on purpose

How Aware

unsuspecting
53 4.2
unaware
175 2.9
unwitting
17 6.7
oblivious
76 6.3

Surface Forms

unwitting positive
unwittier comparative
unwittiest superlative

Morphology

unwitting = witting (transparent) = un + witting

The adjective is formed by the productive negating prefix 'un-' applied to 'witting', so the meaning is directly 'not aware'.

Etymology

Unwitting is made of un- 'not' and witting from wit 'to know'. So it means 'not aware' or 'not done on purpose'.