Meaning & use
unknowing
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Meaning
adjectivebefore a nounformal
Not aware of an important fact about what one is doing or what is happening around one.
Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: an unknowing accomplice.
Patterns
- an unknowing victim
- an unknowing participant
- unknowing of something
The delivery driver was an unknowing accomplice in the scheme.
She had been an unknowing participant in the experiment for months.
Unknowing of the danger ahead, the children kept playing by the river.
Common combinations
- unknowing victim
- The shoppers were unknowing victims of a data leak.
- unknowing accomplice
- He became an unknowing accomplice when he agreed to carry the package.
- unknowing participant
- Every customer was an unknowing participant in the price test.
- unknowing smile
- The baby gave an unknowing smile to the stranger.
- unknowing offender
- The tourist was an unknowing offender, since no sign mentioned the rule.
Synonyms and how they differ
- unaware
- Unaware is the everyday word and works after a verb (she was unaware), while unknowing sounds more literary and usually sits before a noun.
- unwitting
- Unwitting is very close, but it is more often used when someone's action causes a result, as in an unwitting mistake.
- ignorant
- Ignorant often carries criticism for lacking knowledge, whereas unknowing is neutral or even sympathetic.
- innocent
- Innocent focuses on having no guilt, while unknowing focuses on lacking information.
Opposites
Word family
- know verb
- to have information or understanding about something
- unknowingly adverb
- without being aware of what one is doing
- knowing adjective
- showing that you understand a hidden meaning
- knowledge noun
- facts and understanding
Commonly confused: unknowing or unknown?
unknowing vs unknown
Unknown describes something nobody knows or recognizes, such as an unknown author, while unknowing describes a person who is not aware of something.
Practice
He had been an ___ courier, carrying the package without realizing what was inside.
Choose one answer.
Unknowing describes a person who lacks awareness of the facts. Unknown would mean nobody knew him, and unwilling would mean he refused, neither of which matches the sentence.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “unknowing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.