unwitting
part of speech
adjective (unwitting)
meaning for a pupil
1) Unwitting means not knowing or not aware of what you are doing or what is happening. tree →
2) Unwitting can describe something done by accident, without meaning to, like an unwitting mistake. tree →
sense in the lessons
In stories and news: an unwitting helper, unwitting victim, unwitting accomplice who helps a crime without knowing. It tells the reader a character did not realise. Adverb «unwittingly» is common: «she unwittingly told the secret».
examples
- The postman was an unwitting helper in the robbery. tree →
- She made an unwitting mistake on the map. tree →
- The unwitting tourist bought a fake ticket. tree →
- He unwittingly gave away the surprise. tree →
- The cat was an unwitting star of the video. tree →
- Unwitting people can spread fake news. tree →
note
From old «wit», meaning to know. Close to «unknowing», «unaware». Opposite: «witting» (rare), usually «knowing» or «deliberate».
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «unwitting» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.