I searched for be oblivious to in Thesaurus but it only has synonyms of ignore (to disregard intentionally). I'm looking for something more silimiar to "to not to know".
Example sentence:
Truth be told, he __ the answer himself.
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Why wouldn't you use oblivious ? Maybe miss fits here ?– IrhalaNov 25, 2016 at 14:18
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"didn't know", "didn't see", "didn't perceive", "couldn't discern"– John FeltzNov 25, 2016 at 14:19
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1oblivious makes no assumption of purpose in either direction.– HelmarNov 25, 2016 at 14:24
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unaware, oblivious, clueless, incognizant, innocent, insensible, nescient, oblivious, unacquainted, ignorant, unconscious, uninformed, unknowing, unmindful, unwitting,...– FumbleFingersNov 25, 2016 at 14:26
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Interestingly, in the various senses of oblivious and oblivion the OED does not include any which suggest intent. They relate to not knowing and forgetfulness from where the root comes - Etymology: < classical Latin oblīviōsus forgetful, producing forgetfulness < oblīviōn- , oblīviō oblivion n. + -ōsus -ous suffix. Compare Middle French oblivieux that forgets easily (mid 15th cent. as obliuieux), causing forgetting or forgetfulness (early 16th cent.; French oblivieux). If you are looking for an active verb meaning (he) was unaware, I don't think there is one.– WS2Nov 25, 2016 at 14:39
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2 Answers
How about overlook or miss?
M-W:
overlook: to look past : miss
miss: to fail to comprehend, sense, or experience
Your example:
Truth be told, he overlooked the answer himself.
Truth be told, he missed the answer himself.
In both of these examples, he simply didn't see or notice the answer. No intentionality involved.
Note: @Irhala mentions miss in a comment.
answered Nov 25, 2016 at 14:26
unaware: not knowing that something exists, or not having knowledge or experience of something: I was unaware of the risks involved. Bowman was unaware that the car was gone.
(Cambridge Dictionary)
Truth be told, he was unaware of the answer himself.
answered Nov 26, 2016 at 3:05
