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
Consequently, Baghdad was caught unawares when protests did break out in the capital and in cities such as Mosul in early February, and its initial response was rather panicked.
—
Raad Alkadiri, Foreign Affairs, 3 Mar. 2011
In the case of Hungary, EU leaders may have been caught unawares by Orban’s assaults on democracy.
—R. Daniel Kelemen, Foreign Affairs, 25 Aug. 2016
But then, out of nowhere, the chile peppers will catch you unawares and land a solid uppercut to the kisser.
—Tim Carman, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024
Pictorial imagery catches us unawares because, as intellectuals, we are trained to analyze text and to treat drawings or photographs as trifling adjuncts.
—Stephen Jay Gould, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
See all Example Sentences for unawares 
Raad Alkadiri, Foreign Affairs, 3 Mar. 2011
In the case of Hungary, EU leaders may have been caught unawares by Orban’s assaults on democracy.
—R. Daniel Kelemen, Foreign Affairs, 25 Aug. 2016
But then, out of nowhere, the chile peppers will catch you unawares and land a solid uppercut to the kisser.
—Tim Carman, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024
Pictorial imagery catches us unawares because, as intellectuals, we are trained to analyze text and to treat drawings or photographs as trifling adjuncts.
—Stephen Jay Gould, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
See all Example Sentences for unawares
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Cite this Entry
“Unawares.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unawares. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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