unknown Hear it!

unknown Definition

un·known (-nōn)

adjective

not known; specif.,

  1. not in the knowledge, understanding, or acquaintance of someone; unfamiliar (to)
  2. not discovered, identified, determined, explored, etc.

noun

  1. an unknown person or thing
  2. an unknown mathematical quantity: also, a symbol for this

unknown Synonyms

unknown

modif.

  1. Not known; said of information

    uncomprehended, unapprehended, undiscovered, untold, unexplained, unascertained, uninvestigated, unexplored, unheard of, unperceived, concealed, hidden, unrevealed.

    Antonyms known*, established*, understood. *

  2. Not known; said of people

    alien, unfamiliar, not introduced, unheard of, obscure, foreign, strange, unacknowledged, anonymous, unnamed, ostracized, outcast, friendless, private, retired, aloof, out of the world, rusticated, forgotten.

  3. Not known; said of terrain

    unexplored, far-off, remote, far, distant, foreign, undiscovered, exotic, hyperborean, transoceanic, transmarine, ultramontane, antipodal, at the far corners of the earth, faraway, at the uttermost ends of the earth, in parts unknown, outlandish, unheard-of, unfrequented, untraveled, desolate, desert, unvisited, legendary, strange, Atlantean.

unknown Usage Examples

Converse of object

remain: Many things about Venus remain unknown, including the cause of mysterious bursts of radio waves.

Adjective modifier

  • exact: Dominoes are thought to have been invented in China, the exact date unknown.
  • relative: The cast is superb, from big names like Al Pacino and Meryl Streep to the relative unknowns filling most of the roles.

Modifies a noun

  • quantity: We are an unknown quantity, ' Mr Scott admits.
  • origin: Do not feed foreign honey or honey of unknown origin, which may contain AFB spores.
  • territory: For all topical analgesics there is an element of unknown territory.
  • content: The text field starts off in an unknown position, with unknown contents.
  • note: Title unknown Notes in German Lecture, dated 19 October 1807.
  • etiology: RA is a systemic disease, of unknown etiology, with chronic inflammation affecting multiple joints.

Modifying Another Word

  • hitherto: Is this some hitherto unknown incident in Scottish History in which King James VI reigned in Madrid as well as Edinburgh?
  • virtually: Virtually unknown outside the party, Davis needs to declare early to get momentum going.
  • previously: A previously unknown group calling itself the Military Liberation Union claimed responsibility.
  • relatively: Take a peek at a corner of England previously relatively unknown to me through the eyes of my camera.
  • largely: On this basis, the actual contribution of this sector to waste management in the Region appears largely unknown.
  • practically: As such, their online presence is practically unknown to internet users resulting in lost revenue.

Noun used with modifier

  • provenance: The site is therefore, often assigned to an article that is sold, provenance unknown, to increase its value.
  • date: Celtic feast day of ' Sidwell ' of Exeter, date unknown.
  • destination: Destination unknown: Rokkasho and the international future of nuclear reprocessing ( pdf 126KB ) 12.
  • author: Seen framed in an office - author unknown: " Discipline!

Used with adjective complement

remain: The first winter ascent of the gully remains unknown.

Browse dictionary entries near unknown

  1. unknowing
  2. unknowable
  3. unknot
  4. unknit
  5. unkindly
  6. unkind
  7. unkennel
  8. unkenned
  9. unkempt
  10. unjustly
  1. Unknown Soldier
  2. unlace
  3. unlade
  4. unladylike
  5. unlash
  6. unlatch
  7. unlawful
  8. unlawful act
  9. unlawful assembly
  10. unlawful detainer