unawares

English

Etymology

From unaware +‎ -s (adverbial suffix).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌʌnəˈwɛə(ɹ)z/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)z

Adverb

unawares (not comparable)

1. Unexpectedly or by surprise.

   Your question catches/takes me unawares, I don't know the answer right now...

   • 1815 [1802], William Wordsworth, Resolution and Independence:

     And I with these untoward thoughts had striven, / I saw a Man before me unawares: / The oldest Man he seemed that ever wore grey hairs.

2. Inadvertently.

   I'm afraid I've taken the wrong coat, unawares.

3. Without plan or forethought.

Related terms

• at unawares
• unaware (adjective)
• unawarely

Translations

unexpectedly or by surprise

• Bulgarian: неочаквано (bg) (neočakvano), ненадейно (bg) (nenadejno)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 無意中／无意中 (zh) (wúyìzhōng)

• Danish: uforvarende, på sengen
• Dutch: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: yllättäen (fi)
• French: au dépourvu (fr), à l’improviste (fr)
• Irish: gan fhios
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: uforvarende, på sengen (no)

• Polish: znienacka (pl), niespodziewanie (pl) (literally “unexpectedly”)
• Russian: враспло́х (ru) (vrasplóx), неожи́данно (ru) (neožídanno, literally “unexpectedly”)
• Sanskrit: अम्नस् (sa) (amnas)
• Scottish Gaelic: gun fhiosta
• Ukrainian: знена́цька (znenácʹka), несподі́вано (nespodívano, literally “unexpectedly”)

inadvertently — see inadvertently

without plan or forethought

• Bulgarian: неумишлено (bg) (neumišleno)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Danish: uplanlagt
• Dutch: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: miettimättä
• French: à l’improviste (fr)
• Norwegian: please add this translation if you can
• Russian: please add this translation if you can