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unknown

unknown

629 2.3
Not known or named, often with no name given
  • adjective
  • /ʌnˈnoʊn/
translation icon : desconocido
  • What is known as child labor today is unknown in traditional societies.
  • remain unknown
  • previously unknown
  • largely unknown

She was like an unknown actress at the time.

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Examples

  • The significance of this arrangement is still unknown, but it is notable.

    Academic text (2011)
  • This is an unknown virus, it's a new one.

  • And for some unknown reason, they asked me to chair it.

  • The cause of MS is unknown, but genetic and environmental factors are thought to play a part.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Unknown vehicle arriving at the gate.

  • There's an unknown person joining the text conversation.

  • She was like an unknown actress at the time.

  • Issues that were somehow unknown and easily addressed during the 60s have become a fundamental problem today.

    Academic text (2011)
  • He flees New York, his location unknown.

  • The author remains relatively unknown to the general public, despite their critical acclaim.

Synonyms

unidentified
vsunknown
4.2

Not known or named

is broader, also including lack of fame or general unfamiliarity
anonymous
vsunknown
317 4.5

Has no known public name or source

is broader, including people not publicly identified rather than only kept secret
unfamiliar
vsunknown
104 4.4

Not known or seen before

is broader and covers lack of recognition in general, not only to someone
obscure
vsunknown
84 7.0

Not well known or famous

is broader, meaning completely not known, not just not famous or hard to access
unnamed
vsunknown
59 4.4

Not having a name mentioned or known

is wider, covering not being recognized or identified beyond just naming
nameless
vsunknown
44 4.4

A person or thing with no known name

is about overall lack of recognition or fame, not only missing a name
little-known
vsunknown
34 7.3

Few people know about it

is broader, also covering complete lack of recognition, naming, or identity
undiscovered
vsunknown
23 4.0

Not yet found or known by people

is broader, also covering things that remain unrecognized even when found or seen
unexplored
vsunknown
21 4.9

Not yet found or studied

is more general, covering lack of fame, recognition, or clear identification
unidentifiable
vsunknown
9 6.1

You cannot tell what something or someone is

is about general absence of recognition rather than permanent impossibility
unrecognized
vsunknown
3 4.2

Not known or noticed by other people

is more general and covers not being famous or widely known
underseen
vsunknown
8.3

Seen by only a few people

is about being entirely not known or without identity, not only lacking viewers

Antonyms

1.0

Many people know them for something good or important

793 1.0

Well known because you have seen or experienced it before

2 1.0

Familiar to many people and easy to identify

Idioms

1 7.3

To do something risky without knowing what will happen

Compounds

4 6.3

A soldier who died in war whose name cannot be found and who stands for all war dead

unknown variable
  • Specialized
1 4.6

A letter or sign in an equation that stands for a value you do not know

A person or thing you do not yet know much about

unknown quantity
  • Specialized
6.8

A number in an equation you do not know and must find

An area that no one has explored or seen before

How Known

famous
1.0
known
2 1.0
familiar
793 1.0
unfamiliar
104 4.4
unknown
629 2.3
obscure
84 7.0

Surface Forms

unknown positive

Morphology

unknown = known (transparent) = un + known

Standard adjectival formation by prefixing 'un-' to 'known', giving the direct opposite meaning.

Etymology

Unknown comes from un- meaning 'not' and know meaning 'to know'. So an unknown person or thing is someone or something people do not know, or someone who is not famous.