unknown quantity
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
His show premiered around the same time another unknown quantity was throwing his hat in the political ring: Donald Trump.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
Mr Barrington said Wolves of Wiltshire have specific licenses that allow them to care for the animals, because they were an "unknown quantity, and they could have potentially required a dangerous animals license".
From BBC ● Jan. 11, 2026
The 46-year-old Dutch coach built a fine reputation with successes at Feyenoord, but was an unknown quantity to many Liverpool supporters and untested in the Premier League.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2025
Is Levi a professional wildcard—some unknown quantity who requires vetting by the president-elect himself, or someone who demands that his every former employer be contacted by the president-elect himself?
From Slate ● Jan. 9, 2025
Doubleday an unknown quantity, but certainly nothing spectacular.
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
