adj · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
General-American:/ˌʌnəˈwɛɚ/
Received-Pronunciation:/ˌʌnəˈwɛə/
Scotland:/ˌʌnəˈweːɹ/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ɛə(ɹ)
CMU ARPABET:AH2 N AH0 W EH1 R
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Not aware or informed; lacking knowledge; unmindful.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
I'm unaware of the answer to that question.
Luckily, she was unaware that I'd spent the last five years in prison.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
Not noticing; paying no heed; thoughtless; inattentive; oblivious.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adjective
Meaning 3
(often followed by `of') not aware
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
seemed unaware of the scrutiny
unaware of the danger they were in
unaware of the newborn hope
the most unaware person I've known
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: incognizant
Antonyms: aware(p)
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- English aware English unaware From un- + aware.
Across languages
Translations
35 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Armenian:
անտեղյակ
(anteġyak)
— not aware or informed
Bengali:
গাফেল
(gaphel)
— not aware or informed
Catalan:
ignorant
— not aware or informed
Finnish:
tietämätön
— not aware or informed
Finnish:
epätietoinen
— not aware or informed
French:
inconscient
— not aware or informed
German:
unwissend
— not aware or informed
German:
nicht wissend
— not aware or informed
Hindi:
अनजान
(anjān)
— not aware or informed
Hindi:
अनभिज्ञ
(anbhijña)
— not aware or informed
Italian:
ignaro
— not aware or informed
Italian:
inconsapevole
— not aware or informed
Latin:
inscius
— not aware or informed
Plautdietsch:
onweetent
— not aware or informed
Portuguese:
inconsciente
— not aware or informed
Romanian:
neștiutor
— not aware or informed
Romanian:
neprevenit
— not aware or informed
Russian:
не зна́ющий
(ne znájuščij)
— not aware or informed
Spanish:
inconsciente
— not aware or informed
Spanish:
desprevenido
— not aware or informed
Spanish:
ignorante
— not aware or informed
Tagalog:
dinaiino
— not aware or informed
Tagalog:
dinakaiino
— not aware or informed
Ukrainian:
яки́й не зна́є
(jakýj ne znáje)
— not aware or informed
Bengali:
গাফেল
(gafel)
— not noticing, thoughtless, inattentive
Finnish:
tietämätön
— not noticing, thoughtless, inattentive
German:
unaufmerksam
— not noticing, thoughtless, inattentive
German:
gedankenlos
— not noticing, thoughtless, inattentive
German:
nicht bemerkend
— not noticing, thoughtless, inattentive
German:
nichtsahnend
— not noticing, thoughtless, inattentive
Hindi:
अनभिज्ञ
(anbhijña)
— not noticing, thoughtless, inattentive
Russian:
не подозрева́ющий
(ne podozrevájuščij)
— not noticing, thoughtless, inattentive
Saraiki:
اݨسُچیتا
(aṇsucetā)
— not noticing, thoughtless, inattentive
Swedish:
aningslös
— not noticing, thoughtless, inattentive
Ukrainian:
яки́й не підо́зрює
(jakýj ne pidózrjuje)
— not noticing, thoughtless, inattentive