unwitting

Meanings

1. 1adjectivebefore a noun

   not knowing or not realizing that something is happening or that you are involved in something.

   Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: an unwitting victim. It can also follow 'be' but this is less common.

   Patterns

   • unwitting participant
   • unwitting victim
   • unwitting accomplice

   She was an unwitting participant in the experiment.

   The email made him an unwitting accomplice in the scam.

   He became an unwitting victim of identity theft.

2. 2adjectivebefore a noun

   not intended or not done on purpose.

   Grammar: Describes an action or result that happens without conscious intention.

   Patterns

   • unwitting mistake
   • unwitting error

   His unwitting mistake caused a lot of confusion.

   The unwitting error in the report went unnoticed for weeks.

Common combinations

unwitting victim

The scam targeted unwitting victims.

unwitting accomplice

He didn't know he was an unwitting accomplice.

unwitting participant

She was an unwitting participant in the prank.

unwitting mistake

It was an unwitting mistake, not a deliberate lie.

Synonyms and how they differ

unaware

This is more common in everyday English and often used after 'be' (He was unaware of the problem), while 'unwitting' usually comes before a noun.

unknowing

Very close in meaning but more literary; it also suggests lack of knowledge.

accidental

Focuses on the lack of intention rather than lack of knowledge; an accidental mistake is not planned, but an unwitting mistake is made without realizing it.

Opposites

Word family

unwittingly adverb

without knowing or intending; e.g. She unwittingly revealed the secret.

Commonly confused: unwitting or unwilling?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “unwitting”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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