unknown
UK /ʌn(ˈn)əʊn/ · US /ʌnˈnoʊn/ adjective, noun
Forms unknowns
- adjective (sometimes postpositive) Not known; unidentified; not well known. “The concept has existed since times unknown.”
- noun (algebra) A variable (usually x, y or z) whose value is to be found.
- noun Any thing, place, or situation about which nothing is known; an unknown fact or piece of information.
- noun A person of no identity; a nonentity.
Synonyms
anonymous unfamiliar uncharted undiscovered unexplored unidentified unnamed unrecognized unrevealed unascertained obscure unsung ignote knownless strange unapprehended unexplained uninvestigated unknown region terra incognita stranger alien unknown quantity nameless
Antonyms
well-known famous known ascertained familiar recognizable recognized
Etymology
From Middle English *unknowen, *uniknowen, uniknowe, from Old English unġecnāwen (“unknown”), equivalent to un- + known.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Not known; not apprehended.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “unknown”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details