Standard Lemma guide

unwitting

adj · 5 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

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  • rhymes with -ɪtɪŋ
  • CMU ARPABET: AH0 N W IH1 T IH0 NG Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Unaware or uninformed; oblivious.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: clueless, ignorant, benighted, cimmerian, foolish, ill-informed, illiterate, innocent, lack-learning, lay, lewd, loreless, nescient, oblivious, philistine, tenebrose, unaware, uncultivated, uncultured, uneducated, unenlightened, unerudite, uninformed, unknowing, unknowledgeable, unlearned, unlearnt, unlettered, unmindful, unread, unscholarly, unschooled, untaught, untrained, untutored, unwitting

Antonyms: aware, cognizant

2

adj

Meaning 2

Unintentional.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • (transl.) 4th century BC, Plato, Sophist, 230a Some people, apparently, have thought about it and reached the conclusion that every case of being misinformed is unwitting.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: inadvertent, unintended, accidental, designless, involuntary, undesigned, unintentional, unplanned, unpurposed, unwitting

Antonyms: deliberate

3

adjective

Meaning 3

not aware or knowing

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an unwitting subject in an experiment

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: witting

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

unaware because of a lack of relevant information or knowledge

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he was completely ignorant of the circumstances
  • an unknowledgeable assistant
  • his rudeness was unwitting

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ignorant, unknowledgeable, unknowing

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

not done with purpose or intent

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an unintended slight
  • an unintentional pun
  • the offense was unintentional
  • an unwitting mistake may be overlooked

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: unintentional, unplanned

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English unwittinge, unwitand, from Old English unwitende (“unwitting; not knowing; unaware; unconscious”), from Proto-Germanic *unwitandz (“not knowing”), equivalent to un- + witting. Cognate with West Frisian ûnwittend, Dutch onwetend, German Low German unwetend, German unwissend and unwissentlich, Icelandic óvitandi.

Across languages

Translations

31 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: несъзнателен (nesǎznatelen) — unaware
  • Finnish: tietämätön — unaware
  • French: inconscient — unaware
  • French: inattention — unaware
  • Galician: inconsciente — unaware
  • German: unwissentlich — unaware
  • Irish: aineolach — unaware
  • Irish: ainbhiosach — unaware
  • Italian: ignaro — unaware
  • Italian: inconsapevole — unaware
  • Manx: anoayllagh — unaware
  • Manx: almoragh — unaware
  • Manx: dyn-yss — unaware
  • Polish: bezwiedny — unaware
  • Portuguese: inconsciente — unaware
  • Spanish: ignorante — unaware
  • Spanish: inconsciente — unaware
  • Bulgarian: неволен (nevolen) — unintentional
  • Finnish: tahaton — unintentional
  • French: involontaire — unintentional
  • French: par inadvertance — unintentional
  • Galician: involuntario — unintentional
  • German: unabsichtlich — unintentional
  • Gothic: 𐌿𐌽𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍂𐍅𐌴𐌹𐍃 (unfaurweis) — unintentional
  • Irish: taismeach — unintentional
  • Irish: neamhaistearach — unintentional
  • Italian: involontario — unintentional
  • Manx: gyn aigney — unintentional
  • Polish: bezwiedny — unintentional
  • Portuguese: involuntário — unintentional
  • Spanish: involuntario — unintentional