SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
unwary
adjective
Insufficiently alert or cautious about possible difficulty or deception.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Not alert to danger
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topUnwary means insufficiently cautious in a situation. Gullible implies readiness to believe deception; unprepared can concern resources rather than awareness.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See unwary in use
The misleading sign could confuse an unwary traveler.
An unwary volunteer nearly copied an unofficial online list without noticing that it belonged to an earlier event.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license