unbeknown

Also un·be·knownst

[uhn-bi-nohn]

adjective

1. unknown; unperceived; without one's knowledge (usually followed byto ).

unbeknown

/ ˌʌnbɪˈnəʊn /

adverb

1. Also (esp Brit): unbeknownst. without the knowledge (of a person)

   unbeknown to him she had left the country

adjective

1. rare,  not known (to)

Word History and Origins

Origin of unbeknown¹

1630–40; un- ¹ + beknown ( late Middle English beknowe, past participle of beknowen ); be-, known

Word History and Origins

Origin of unbeknown¹

C17: from the archaic beknown known; see _be- , _know

Example Sentences

So how did the Earwigs gain this unlikely cult following unbeknown to its founding member?

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Almost immediately, they were face-to-face with 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana who, unbeknown to the officers, had walked into the studio and attacked the children who had been enjoying a school holiday Taylor Swift-themed workshop.

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As he was walking up Water Street, he noticed the car that, unbeknown to him, others had tried to stop further up the road.

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"My brother was driving his car for weeks upon weeks unbeknown to him that his body was slowly being poisoned with a very deadly silent killer."

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A court later heard that, unbeknown to them, they were recorded as they sat in the back of a police car on the way to the custody suite.

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