unwittingly
adv. manneradv. 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.
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.
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.
Typically placed before the verb it modifies or at the end of a clause.
He did it unwittinglylyHe did it unwittinglyLearners sometimes add an extra 'ly' to adverbs that already end in 'ly' as part of their root or suffix structure.