unknown

[ uhn-nohn ]

adjective

1. not known; not within the range of one's knowledge, experience, or understanding; strange; unfamiliar.
2. not discovered, explored, identified, or ascertained:

   the unknown parts of Antarctica.

3. not widely known; not famous; obscure:

   an unknown writer.

noun

1. a thing, influence, area, factor, or person that is unknown:

   the many unknowns in modern medicine; The director cast an unknown in the leading role.

2. Mathematics. a symbol representing an unknown quantity: in algebra, analysis, etc., frequently represented by a letter from the last part of the alphabet, as x, y, or z.

unknown

/ ʌnˈnəʊn /

adjective

1. not known, understood, or recognized
2. not established, identified, or discovered

   an unknown island

3. not famous; undistinguished

   some unknown artist

4. unknown quantity
   a person or thing whose action, effect, etc, is unknown or unpredictable

noun

1. an unknown person, quantity, or thing
2. maths a variable, or the quantity it represents, the value of which is to be discovered by solving an equation; a variable in a conditional equation

   3y = 4x + 5 is an equation in two unknowns

Derived Forms

• unˈknownness, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unknown¹

First recorded in 1250–1300, unknown is from the Middle English word unknow(e)n. See un- ¹, known

Example Sentences

And, of course, the circumstances of each incident are unknown.

From BBC

Until now, the process by which a million cubic kilometres of salt accumulated in the Mediterranean basin over such a short period of time remained unknown.

From Science Daily

Exactly how much money changes hands and who benefits from these "oil swaps" is just one of the unknowns in these deals.

From BBC

It is unknown whether Trump would continue with such a policy.

From BBC

There were rumours involving government suppression of the story, for reasons unknown.

From BBC

Related Words

• anonymous
• exotic
• foreign
• nameless
• new
• remote
• strange
• uncharted
• undiscovered
• unexplained
• unexplored
• unfamiliar
• unidentified
• unnamed
• unrecognized