Standard Lemma guide

unwittingly

adv · 2 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.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ʌnˈwɪtɪŋli/
  • General-American: /ˌʌnˈwɪtɪŋli/
  • General-American: /ˌən-/
  • General-American: /-ɾɪŋ-/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: AH0 N W IH1 T IH0 NG L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adv

Meaning 1

In an unwitting manner; inadvertently, obliviously, unintentionally, unknowingly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • She realized to her horror that she had unwittingly helped those people she most despised.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: advertently, consciously, deliberately, knowingly, intentionally, purposely

2

adverb

Meaning 2

without knowledge or intention

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he unwittingly deleted the references

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: inadvertently, unknowingly

Antonyms: wittingly

History

Etymology

From Middle English on-wytyngly, un-wetandly, unweteynglye, unwetinglie, un-wetinglye, unwetyngly, unwitandly, unwitendely, unwitingly, unwittandly, unwityngli, unwityngly, unwytyngeleche, unwytyngli, equivalent to unwitting + -ly or un- + wittingly.

Across languages

Translations

38 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: inconscientment — in an unwitting manner
  • Czech: nevědomky — in an unwitting manner
  • Dutch: ongewild — in an unwitting manner
  • Finnish: tietämättään — in an unwitting manner
  • Finnish: tahtomattaan — in an unwitting manner
  • French: involontairement — in an unwitting manner
  • French: inconsciemment — in an unwitting manner
  • Georgian: უნებლიეთ (unebliet) — in an unwitting manner
  • Georgian: შემთხვევით (šemtxvevit) — in an unwitting manner
  • Georgian: უცოდინრად (ucodinrad) — in an unwitting manner
  • Georgian: უნებურად (uneburad) — in an unwitting manner
  • Georgian: უნდომლად (undomlad) — in an unwitting manner
  • German: unbeabsichtigt — in an unwitting manner
  • German: unabsichtlich — in an unwitting manner
  • German: ungewollt — in an unwitting manner
  • German: irrtümlich — in an unwitting manner
  • German: ohne sich dessen bewusst zu sein — in an unwitting manner
  • German: ohne es zu wissen — in an unwitting manner
  • Greek: αθέλητα (athélita) — in an unwitting manner
  • Irish: gan fhios — in an unwitting manner
  • Irish: go haineolach — in an unwitting manner
  • Irish: go hainbhiosach — in an unwitting manner
  • Irish: gan fhios duit féin — in an unwitting manner
  • Italian: involontariamente — in an unwitting manner
  • Italian: inconsapevolmente — in an unwitting manner
  • Latvian: neviļus — in an unwitting manner
  • Latvian: negribot — in an unwitting manner
  • Manx: neucheeayllagh — in an unwitting manner
  • Manx: gyn yss dhyt hene — in an unwitting manner
  • Polish: bezwiednie — in an unwitting manner
  • Polish: nieświadomie — in an unwitting manner
  • Scottish Gaelic: gun fhiosta — in an unwitting manner
  • Spanish: sin querer — in an unwitting manner
  • Spanish: accidentalmente — in an unwitting manner
  • Spanish: sin comerlo ni beberlo — in an unwitting manner
  • Swedish: oavsiktligt — in an unwitting manner
  • Swedish: omedvetet — in an unwitting manner
  • Swedish: ovetandes — in an unwitting manner