1
as in unfamiliar
happening or existing without one's knowledge
unknown to me was the fact that while I was out, my family was hurriedly preparing a surprise birthday party
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in novel
not known or experienced before
becoming a father brought unknown joy to his life
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in obscure
not widely known
looking for a relatively unknown singer to record the song
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unknown
Do not drive around barricades or through water of unknown depth.
—
Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 28 Oct. 2025
While the night celebrated Mamdani’s coalition of Democratic Socialist of America leaders, labor union heads, and activists, the rally also reflected how far Mamdani had come from an unknown, leftist state assemblyman, polling under one percent, to a darling of the Democratic mainstream.
—Alex J. Rouhandeh, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
This marsupial species is common in fossil deposits in southern Australia but is unknown in the north.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
McLusky, however, isn’t interested in meeting new gangsters or unknown criminals in his town.
—Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unknown
Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 28 Oct. 2025
While the night celebrated Mamdani’s coalition of Democratic Socialist of America leaders, labor union heads, and activists, the rally also reflected how far Mamdani had come from an unknown, leftist state assemblyman, polling under one percent, to a darling of the Democratic mainstream.
—Alex J. Rouhandeh, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
This marsupial species is common in fossil deposits in southern Australia but is unknown in the north.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
McLusky, however, isn’t interested in meeting new gangsters or unknown criminals in his town.
—Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unknown
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unknown
Adjective
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Intrigued by the unfamiliar-looking animals, researchers examined their anatomy and analyzed their DNA.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
29 Oct. 2025
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The series pits teams of two contestants, who usually know each other prior, against each other in a race across unfamiliar lands toward a $1 million cash prize.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The novel series is about a father and daughter trying to reconcile at the end of the world.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
28 Oct. 2025
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Toppling Brazil’s tariffs, currently at 50%, is novel to the Senate but has support from GOP co-sponsors Paul, Collins, and Murkowski.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Even then, though, the path is obscure.—
Ellie Cook,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Many years have passed since nursing home patients lived in the Redlands Road building, the obscure permit on which the occupancy rested has lapsed.—
Lou Murray,
Boston Herald,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Silver Bullet The idea of league partners doing journalism is always a strange subject.—
Andrew Marchand,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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Years later, now a lawyer, Andi wins a radio contest where the host, Jake (Romaine Waite), turns the story of the sleigh bell and stranger into a segment, as listeners help track down her mystery man before Christmas.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Look for unusual activity such as unrecognized logins, changes to passwords or new connected devices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Oct. 2025
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In many cases, fans were able to see that the tickets were surreptitiously forwarded to unrecognized accounts, presumably so they could be sold on third-party sites.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie turned the wizardly backstory into an epic adventure, opening a gateway for young unbeknownst fantasy fans everywhere while also delivering a classically wholesome story about the importance of family and a parent's unconditional love.—
EW Staff,
EW.com,
1 July 2024
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For a surprise at the end, unbeknownst even to King, Winfrey arranged a path lined with sparklers, framing the couple in a golden glow against the night sky.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
6 June 2024
Adjective
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Twelve of the 20 indicators for the health risks and impacts of climate change in the report set concerning new records—showing that the health impacts caused by our changing climate have reached unprecedented levels that cannot be ignored.—
Simmone Shah,
Time,
29 Oct. 2025
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From Nvidia on track to see half a trillion dollars in revenue to Microsoft’s and Alphabet’s multi-hundred-billion-dollar capital expenditure plans, the scale is unprecedented.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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After being integrated, this system will demonstrate its capabilities in live-fire tests – advancing the Department of War’s effort to evaluate and accelerate new, cost-effective strike capabilities for conventional deterrence.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Oct. 2025
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Fifth Third Bank is also looking to open a new branch on Golden Bear Gateway near Costco in December, O'Meara said.—
Andy Humbles,
Nashville Tennessean,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unknown.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unknown. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
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