as in suddenly
without warning
the thunderstorm caught us unawares, and we scrambled to get off the ridge as lightning started to flash
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Recent Examples of unawares
The unfinished portrait drawing was a Regency fashion, as executed by professional society artists Thomas Lawrence and Richard Cosway, where the intention was to capture personality unawares, unstudied, as in life.
—
Literary Hub, 4 Aug. 2025
Short squeezes can happen when a troubled company bounces back, catching doubters unawares.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 22 July 2025
However, with no standardized dimensions across airlines, travelers have often been caught unawares with incorrectly sized bags when switching between carriers.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 5 July 2025
This was not the first time the Alaska Volcanic Observatory (AVO) had been caught unawares by Veniaminof, even with rigorous monitoring.
—Rosie McCall, Discover Magazine, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for unawares
Literary Hub, 4 Aug. 2025
Short squeezes can happen when a troubled company bounces back, catching doubters unawares.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 22 July 2025
However, with no standardized dimensions across airlines, travelers have often been caught unawares with incorrectly sized bags when switching between carriers.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 5 July 2025
This was not the first time the Alaska Volcanic Observatory (AVO) had been caught unawares by Veniaminof, even with rigorous monitoring.
—Rosie McCall, Discover Magazine, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for unawares
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unawares
Adverb
-
Sullivan says everyday activities suddenly carried risks most people never think about.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
23 May 2026
-
Busch, who won more races in NASCAR's top three series than anyone in history, died suddenly on Thursday after passing out a day earlier in a driving simulator at General Motors facility in Concord, North Carolina.—
Mark Osborne,
CBS News,
23 May 2026
Adverb
-
Larson unexpectedly died of an aortic dissection the night before the show’s first off-Broadway performance in 1996.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
19 May 2026
-
Mortgage rates can change suddenly and unexpectedly, especially in the current economic landscape.—
Tim Maxwell,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unawares.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unawares. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
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