unaware

1 of 2

adjective

un·​aware ˌən-ə-ˈwer How to pronounce unaware (audio)
Synonyms of unawarenext
: not aware : ignorant
unaware of the problem
unawarely adverb
unawareness noun

unaware

2 of 2

adverb

: unawares

Synonyms of unaware

Relevance

Adjective

Adverb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of unaware in a Sentence

Adjective she was unaware of the change in travel plans Adverb the predawn attack took the airmen completely unaware
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
The growing gap between AI adoption and governance means many businesses are unaware of their rights, making unexplained denials a critical issue for capital access. — Terdawn Deboe, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026 First Street, a climate risk modeling company in New York City, discovered more than twice as many Americans live in dangerous flood-prone areas than FEMA's maps suggest, leaving many homeowners and even local officials unaware of the risk. — Laura Sullivan, NPR, 15 Aug. 2026 With those races, Ritter said there was relatively little chance that an adult would be completely unaware that there was a primary on August 11. — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2026 These days it is seldom seen, with scouting resource and social media so prevalent, for the majority to be so unaware of the next young talent. — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unaware

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1696, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

1581, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unaware was in 1581

Rhymes for unaware

See All Rhymes for unaware

Browse Nearby Words

unawarded
unaware
unawaredly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unaware.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unaware. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

unaware

1 of 2 adverb
un·​aware ˌən-ə-ˈwa(ə)r How to pronounce unaware (audio)
-ˈwe(ə)r
: unawares

unaware

2 of 2 adjective
: not aware : ignorant
unawareness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on unaware

Nglish: Translation of unaware for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of rigmarole

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All