unaware

Unaware means not knowing about or understanding something.

When someone says they were unaware of something, it usually means they didn't have any idea it was happening or true. This might be because they weren't told, or maybe they just didn't think to find out. It's a common way people explain their surprise when they discover something new. For example, "I'm aware that there are traffic cameras on this road, but I wasn't aware of the speed limit" – here the person knew about the cameras, but not the specific rule. Unaware can also be used to describe situations where someone doesn't understand how things work or what's going on, like in politics or science: "Most people were unaware of the complexity of the issue until it hit the news."