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Unbeknownst is an irregular variant of the older unbeknown, which derives from beknown, an obsolete synonym of known. But for a word with a straightforward history, unbeknownst and the now less common unbeknown have caused quite a stir among usage commentators. In spite of widespread use (including appearances in the writings of Charles Dickens, A. E. Housman, and E. B. White), the grammarian H. W. Fowler in 1926 categorized the two words as "out of use except in dialect or uneducated speech." The following year, G. P. Krapp called them "humorous, colloquial, and dialectal." Our evidence, however, shows that both words are standard even in formal prose.

Examples of unbeknownst in a Sentence

unbeknownst to me, my mother was planning a party

Recent Examples on the Web One woman, Shamaya Coleman, lost four children to a fire in a building that, unbeknownst to her, had a yearslong history of safety issues. — Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2022 Wordle Bot treats this guess as a ‘0’—a total failure of a guess—simply because, unbeknownst to your humble narrator, this wasn’t on a list of possible answers. — Erik Kain, Forbes, 23 Apr. 2022 Of course, unbeknownst to Kyle, that wasn’t the only obstacle in their impending nuptials. — Milan Polk, Men's Health, 22 Feb. 2022 This seemed like great news until people started to go after the Sullivan's for reasons unbeknownst to us, even going so far as to slash the tires of Dana Sue's van. — Amanda Garrity, Good Housekeeping, 19 Feb. 2022 Ellis was working at the Burger King, 5120 W. Capitol Drive, on Jan. 2 when a robbery — which was apparently staged, unbeknownst to Ellis — unfolded shortly after closing near the drive-thru window, where Harris-Brazell was stationed. — Elliot Hughes, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2022 This could have a number of implications that are unbeknownst to the employee, making this clarity crucial. — Mari Kemp, Forbes, 15 Apr. 2022 After the call, and unbeknownst to her husband, Grevas purchased shares of Alder stock in five brokerage accounts under her control, trading nearly every trading day until Lundbeck’s announcement, the criminal complaint states. — Brian L. Cox, chicagotribune.com, 12 Apr. 2022 In an auspicious turn of events, MacGowan’s wife Victoria Mary Clarke discovered her mother had been holding onto Shane’s artwork, unbeknownst to them. — Liza Lentini, SPIN, 5 Apr. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unbeknownst.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.