1
as in naive
lacking in worldly wisdom or informed judgment
e-mail scams that take advantage of unwary recipients
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in careless
not paying or showing close attention especially for the purpose of avoiding trouble
a dangerous stretch of desert that has claimed many unwary travelers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in susceptible
readily taken advantage of
unwary consumers who unquestioningly swallow the dubious claims of TV pitchmen
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of unwary
These are unexplainable phenomena scattered throughout the game’s world that can kill an unwary player in an instant.
—
Issy Van Der Velde, Rolling Stone, 20 Nov. 2024
Some of these bad actors are even setting up fake Hugging Face profiles to pose as Meta or other technology companies to lure downloads from the unwary, according to Swanson.
—Iain Martin, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
To joke about faking the moon landing while faking romance is a twisted attempt at keeping us gullible and unwary.
—Armond White, National Review, 17 July 2024
Unless accelerated by a tanning bed, skin damage can take years, if not decades to develop, experts say, leaving today’s unwary youth at risk for early skin aging and lethal skin cancers such as melanoma.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 21 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for unwary
Issy Van Der Velde, Rolling Stone, 20 Nov. 2024
Some of these bad actors are even setting up fake Hugging Face profiles to pose as Meta or other technology companies to lure downloads from the unwary, according to Swanson.
—Iain Martin, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
To joke about faking the moon landing while faking romance is a twisted attempt at keeping us gullible and unwary.
—Armond White, National Review, 17 July 2024
Unless accelerated by a tanning bed, skin damage can take years, if not decades to develop, experts say, leaving today’s unwary youth at risk for early skin aging and lethal skin cancers such as melanoma.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 21 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for unwary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwary
Adjective
-
Nearly all parents experience something akin to his naive desire, a wish to give their kid the future of their dreams while shielding them from pain and disappointment.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2025
-
The actor plays Lochlan Ratliff, the naive son of Timothy and Victoria, who gets swept away in his family’s crazy antics.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
16 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The Heat committed 14 turnovers, several of them particularly careless, and shot just 9 for 37 (24.3 percent) on threes.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
16 Mar. 2025
-
Nests are usually placed on a horizontal conifer branch less than 10 feet above the ground, which makes sense, given the careless, rickety appearance of their design.—
Matt Kracht,
People.com,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The president also ordered federal agencies to identify colleges with endowments over $1 billion that might be susceptible to investigation or lawsuits due to their DEI policies.—
Graham Kates,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2025
-
But if a mother is unvaccinated or doesn’t have immunity, babies are left susceptible.—
Neha Mukherjee,
CNN,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Man Who Killed Meredith Kercher, Amanda Knox's Roommate in Italy, Is Freed from Prison Still, despite being declared innocent and freed, Knox says she was never allowed to fully live her life again.—
Gillian Telling,
People.com,
19 Mar. 2025
-
In the final moments of last week’s episode, Hector Ayala, aka the hero White Tiger, was found innocent in his trial against the NYPD then shot and killed on the street by an unknown murderer.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The Filipino eatery was issued a yellow placard by health inspectors for holding food at unsafe temperatures and selling unapproved food products.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacramento Bee,
14 Mar. 2025
-
Alcohol is dehydrating, can negatively impact the immune system, and can be unsafe with cold medications.1 There is no cure for the common cold, but there are better supportive measures than whiskey to help provide relief.—
Amelia MacIntyre,
Verywell Health,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
That happens sometimes – two people grow apart, and a quality that once was easy to overlook becomes an inflection point.—
Eric Thomas,
Baltimore Sun,
9 Mar. 2025
-
None of this is easy to watch for audiences who love animals, even if these unicorns are dark and fairly menacing in their appearance — not to mention perfectly capable of defending themselves.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
9 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Following his release, Powell tracks down the children and marries their unsuspecting mother, using his charm and religious facade to manipulate the family.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
-
These operations involve hundreds of thousands of unsuspecting people across Asia and forces them to work under inhumane conditions, with torture and abuse widely reported.—
Tommy Tuberville,
Newsweek,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
She was arrested and charged with assault in the first degree, kidnapping in the second degree, unlawful restraint in the first degree, cruelty to persons and reckless endangerment in the first degree on March 12.—
Escher Walcott,
People.com,
15 Mar. 2025
-
In January a Bronx jury found Officer Kenneth Hood, 38, guilty of reckless endangerment and official misconduct for the incident in the George R. Vierno Center on Nov. 27, 2019, which left 18-year-old Nicholas Feliciano paralyzed.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
15 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unwary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwary. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share