unwary

[ uhn-wair-ee ]

adjective

, un·war·i·er, un·war·i·est.

1. not wary; not cautious or watchful, as against danger or misfortune.

   Synonyms: heedless, rash, indiscreet, incautious

   Antonyms: cautious, careful

unwary

/ ʌnˈwɛərɪ /

adjective

1. lacking caution or prudence; not vigilant or careful

Derived Forms

• unˈwariness, noun
• unˈwarily, adverb

Other Words From

• un·wari·ly adverb
• un·wari·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unwary¹

First recorded in 1570–80; un- ¹ + wary

Example Sentences

Untethered to any fundamental values, these markets would be exceptionally easy to manipulate and hard to police, further endangering unwary investors.

From Los Angeles Times

Predators and poisonous fungi threaten the unwary, but these hirsute hillocks are mostly a danger to themselves — as the alpha will learn when he seems bent on visiting his lust on a hungry mountain lion.

From New York Times

By placing their faith in ivermectin instead of treatments known to be effective against COVID, unwary consumers were only harming themselves.

From Los Angeles Times

Keep in mind that any large-scale sale of Trump’s shares would probably crater the stock price and take his unwary investors to the stock market woodshed.

From Los Angeles Times

To put it another way, disinformation peddlers need only make a claim that sounds plausible or might even have a small kernel of truth to influence the unwary.

From Los Angeles Times