What does "unknown" mean?
A variable (usually x, y or z) whose value is to be found.
Unknown
/ʌnˈnoʊn/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A variable (usually x, y or z) whose value is to be found.
- Grammar: unknown is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: stranger, unknown quantity, a better place, able.
- Useful contrasts: ascertained, familiar, famous.
- Usage evidence: A known mistake is better than an unknown truth.
How to use "unknown"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "unknown" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "unknown" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "unknown" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "unknown" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "unknown" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "stranger" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "unknown", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A variable (usually x, y or z) whose value is to be found.
- 2 a variable whose values are solutions of an equation wordnet
- 3 Any thing, place, or situation about which nothing is known; an unknown fact or piece of information.
"Had God walked close beside her into the unknown?"
- 4 an unknown and unexplored region wordnet
- 5 A person of no identity; a nonentity.
"How does it feel, / how does it feel? / To be on your own, / with no direction home / A complete unknown, / like a rolling stone"
Show 1 more definition
- 6 anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found wordnet
Verb
- 1 past participle of unknow form-of, participle, past
Adjective
- 1 Not known; unidentified; not well known. postpositional, sometimes
"The Celebrity, by arts unknown, induced Mrs. Judge Short and two other ladies to call at Mohair on a certain afternoon when Mr. Cooke was trying a trotter on the track. The three returned wondering and charmed with Mrs. Cooke; they were sure she had had no hand in the furnishing of that atrocious house."
Adjective
- 1 being or having an unknown or unnamed source wordnet
- 2 not known before wordnet
- 3 not famous or acclaimed wordnet
- 4 not known wordnet
- 5 not known to exist wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"A known mistake is better than an unknown truth."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "unknown"?
Common synonyms include: stranger, unknown quantity, a better place, able, abstruse, afterlife.
How do you use "unknown" in a sentence?
A known mistake is better than an unknown truth.
How do you pronounce "unknown"?
Pronounced /ʌnˈnoʊn/.
Etymology
From Middle English *unknowen, *uniknowen, uniknowe, from Old English unġecnāwen (“unknown”), equivalent to un- + known.