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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of unknown
The cause of the fire remains unknown.
—
Chelsea Hylton, CBS News, 25 Apr. 2026
But these unknown early writings suggest that he may be better understood as an immigrant writer—one of the gifted, ambivalent outsiders who remade American literature after World War II—whose most astonishing achievement was the all-American voice of On the Road and the books that came after.
—Literary Hub, 24 Apr. 2026
The minor discrepancies among measurements may even point toward a yet-unknown mystery of physics, Schlamminger says.
—Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 24 Apr. 2026
Dozens of people died in the immediate aftermath, while the long-term death toll from radiation is unknown.
—ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unknown
Chelsea Hylton, CBS News, 25 Apr. 2026
But these unknown early writings suggest that he may be better understood as an immigrant writer—one of the gifted, ambivalent outsiders who remade American literature after World War II—whose most astonishing achievement was the all-American voice of On the Road and the books that came after.
—Literary Hub, 24 Apr. 2026
The minor discrepancies among measurements may even point toward a yet-unknown mystery of physics, Schlamminger says.
—Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 24 Apr. 2026
Dozens of people died in the immediate aftermath, while the long-term death toll from radiation is unknown.
—ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unknown
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unknown
Adjective
-
That gives you a chance to act quickly by freezing your credit, disputing unfamiliar accounts or contacting the lender.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Wheels meet legs The new video from Unitree is drawing attention for pushing humanoid mobility into unfamiliar territory—on wheels and ice.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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James Talarico is trying to sell a novel brand of Christian politics in a deep-red state.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
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Then there was the day in 1990 one of our researchers discovered at Yale’s Beinecke Library a set of page proofs of Richard Wright’s novel Native Son.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Enforcement will soon begin on an obscure New York City law passed in 2009 that requires most businesses to replace traditional solid roll-down security gates with versions that are at least 70% transparent.—
Hannah Kliger,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
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Upon finding an obscure Latin translation of Howard’s in Nancy’s notebook, Mary realizes the two were having an affair before her death and confronts Howard, who vehemently denies any involvement with Nancy.—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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By that time, unbeknownst to Kristina, AJ had already set his sights on Italy.—
Timothy DePeugh,
Charlotte Observer,
24 Apr. 2026
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In the eight-part audio drama Babalu, Sherry Zhang died by suicide in 1989, leaving behind a baby daughter Luisa and, unbeknownst to her family, dozens of cassette tapes recording her innermost thoughts.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Getty Images With five weeks of Europe’s biggest domestic league seasons left to play, all kinds of strange scorelines are starting to roll in.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2026
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The end of kayfabe brought about a strange artistic flourishing—wrestling postmodernism.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Although attempts were made to wake her up through verbal and sternal stimuli, her difficulty breathing went unrecognized for 15 minutes.—
Michelle Lee,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
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Users should also check event logs for any unrecognized changes to DNS server settings.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The tragic death of Diogo Jota was unprecedented, and there was no time for Slot or his players to really grieve because the new season was just five weeks away.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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There is the lamb-like dreamer, Wesley So, and the trollish Hikaru Nakamura, who believes that his unprecedented success as a streamer has secured him a greater legacy than any prestigious chess title would.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Even without the latest new-fangled gadgets, anglers are more technologically equipped than ever with things like GPS, electronic contour maps of lakes auto-steering trolling motors.—
Mike McFeely,
Twin Cities,
24 Apr. 2026
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McVay also said the decision to draft Simpson does not impact contract negotiations with Stafford as the Rams look to give him a new deal ahead of next season.—
Adam Grosbard,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unknown.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unknown. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
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