Word
unwittingly
Phoneticsun·wit·ting·ly
US/ənˈwɪtɪŋɫi/
UK/ʌnwˈɪtɪŋli/
Definition
adv. doing something without realizing it or without meaning to. You use this when someone causes a result they did not plan.
adv. without awareness or intention; inadvertently. Often describes an action that leads to an unforeseen or undesirable consequence.
Examples
“She unwittingly gave away the secret.”
“By clicking the suspicious link, the employee unwittingly allowed malware to infect the entire office network.”
“The biographer unwittingly included several anecdotes that were later proven to be fabrications, damaging the book's reputation for historical accuracy.”
Examples
simple
“She unwittingly gave away the secret.”
contextual
“By clicking the suspicious link, the employee unwittingly allowed malware to infect the entire office network.”
complex
“The biographer unwittingly included several anecdotes that were later proven to be fabrications, damaging the book's reputation for historical accuracy.”
Usage
Typically placed before the verb it modifies or at the end of a clause.
Pitfall
He did it unwittinglyly
He did it unwittingly
Learners sometimes add an extra 'ly' to adverbs that already end in 'ly' as part of their root or suffix structure.
Real-World Examples
“These mothers are at risk of having low birth weight babies and unwittingly passing on their nutrient deprivation to their children.” “The risk of infections also helps explain why so few hospitals have proper ventilation, air conditioning or fans, Sawicka explains – in case they unwittingly spread bugs.” 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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/unwittingly