as in naive
lacking in worldly wisdom or informed judgment
sidewalk vendors selling bogus gems to unsuspecting tourists
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Recent Examples of unsuspecting
Here a case of mistaken identity sends an unsuspecting advertising agent, played by Cary Grant, on a journey across the United States (and, eventually, into the arms of Eva Marie Saint).
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Keith Phipps, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2025
When his gambling debts grew too much for him, Dr. Stevens then made tens of thousands of dollars per month on the black market by stealing kidneys from unsuspecting patients.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2025
David was wearing a red zip-up jacket that caught the eye of the five alleged gang members, who had just been caught on video at Valley Fair mall across the street a half hour earlier beating up, bloodying and stealing a shoe of an unsuspecting shopper, according to a police statement of facts.
—Julia Prodis Sulek, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2025
And eventually, someone broke the news to the unsuspecting cast — some of whom took it worse than others.
—Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsuspecting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsuspecting
Adjective
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The credulous faith that these superpowers will voluntarily settle for some form of peaceful coexistence, if only they are sufficiently propitiated with concessions, is naive and dangerous.—
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Similarly naive are Trump’s and Biden’s attempts to regulate access to AI information — such as China’s AI restrictions.—
Adjective
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That innocent people are disappearing into El Salvador’s prisons is no secret—making the embrace of Bukele a disturbing signal of just how far a strongman can go without losing political ground.—
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His innocent questions were always softened by stoner jokes.—
Adjective
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That simplicity feels so apt for this show, There's enough here: The production is simple and sweet, while Jonas and Warren exude a certain magnetism.—
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Kit kept things simple with a traditional dark blue suit, pairing the look with a white shirt and polkadot bowtie and his usual glasses.—
Adjective
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Rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have given fraudsters a host of new tools to trick unwary individuals into dishonest schemes.—
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That’s because the agency’s duty is to stand in the way of businesses desiring to push unsafe and ineffective nostrums at unwary consumers, and also in the way of a perverse idea that personal freedom includes the freedom to be gulled by charlatans.—
Cite this Entry
“Unsuspecting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsuspecting. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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