unknown quantity

noun

: someone or something whose abilities or characteristics are not yet known

If you've never been published before, you're an unknown quantity, so you're going to have difficulty selling your first novel.

Examples of unknown quantity in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Trump’s pick to chair the Federal Reserve is, in the words of University of Virginia economics professor Eric Leeper, an unknown quantity — and markets are pricing in the uncertainty. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 27 May 2026

The real Colbert, not the character, would helm the show, and that guy behind the mask was still an unknown quantity to the viewing public. —Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026

Then again, in the phone call last month, Davis acknowledged the risk faced by early adopters of any unknown quantity. —Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 12 May 2026

People were determined to get the unknown quantity out of the game. —Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Mar. 2026

For the first time in a couple of years, the Boise State football wide receiver room is somewhat of an unknown quantity. —Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 26 Feb. 2026

Cleanliness is an unknown quantity to these people. —Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026

During the search of the residence and traffic stop, officials found 144 grams of methamphetamine, an unknown quantity of ketamine and prescription pills, drug paraphernalia, a digital scale and a shotgun, the sheriff's office said. —Nick Lentz, CBS News, 18 Jan. 2026

That ended up being Miller, now a legend in his own right but a bit more of an unknown quantity at the time. —Chris Willman, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025