unknown
[ uhn-nohn ]
/ ʌnˈnoʊn /
adjective
not known; not within the range of one's knowledge, experience, or understanding; strange; unfamiliar.
not discovered, explored, identified, or ascertained: the unknown parts of Antarctica.
not widely known; not famous; obscure: an unknown writer.
noun
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.
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.
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RELATED WORDS
unexplored, exotic, unidentified, remote, undiscovered, unfamiliar, foreign, strange, anonymous, new, nameless, unnamed, uncharted, unexplained, unrecognized, dark, alien, far, secret, so-and-so
Nearby words
- unknit,
- unknot,
- unknowable,
- unknowing,
- unknowingly,
- unknown quantity,
- unknown soldier,
- unlace,
- unlade,
- unladen
Origin of unknown
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for unknown
unknown
/ (ʌnˈnəʊn) /
adjective
not known, understood, or recognized
not established, identified, or discoveredan unknown island
not famous; undistinguishedsome unknown artist
unknown quantity a person or thing whose action, effect, etc, is unknown or unpredictable
noun
an unknown person, quantity, or thing
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 equation3y = 4x + 5 is an equation in two unknowns
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
unknown
c.1300, "strange, unfamiliar" (of persons, places), from un- (1) "not" + past participle of know. Cf. Old English ungecnawen. In reference to facts, attested from early 14c. The noun meaning "unknown person" is recorded from 1590s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper