unknown

adjective

ˌən-ˈnōn How to pronounce unknown (audio)
Definition of unknownnext
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

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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. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unknown In 2009, decades after Price’s death, Omordia said that a collection of the composer’s manuscripts were discovered in the attic of her former summer home in Illinois, including unknown works. — Megan Fitzgerald, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026 Arizona’s Taiwanese immigrants have risked a lot in coming to America, staking their futures on a new project in an unknown place at a time of extreme nativist backlash. — Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 29 Oct. 2026 Chicago police said the man suffered a gunshot wound to the head from unknown gunfire. — Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026 The company’s statements do not appear to sympathize with residents who fear their data may have been misused by unknown Flock owners. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 28 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unknown
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unknown
  1. unfamiliar
  2. novel
  3. obscure
  4. unbeknownst
  5. strange
  6. unrecognized
  7. unprecedented
  8. new
Adjective
  • The ornate Spanish Colonial edifice has elicited curiosity from those unfamiliar with its significance.
    — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Nov. 2026
  • By evening, an unfamiliar situation may start to feel more welcoming.
    — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of unfamiliar
Adjective
  • Chef Williams Saurina adds his own touches, with novel spins on ceviche, zesty salsas flecked with pumpkin seeds, and aromatic Tikin Xic (sea bass with recado rojo, made from local achiote, wrapped in totomoxtle leaf).
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Making collaboration count That same logic is also driving interest in sourcing pools—by no means a novel concept but one that has been discussed more in the abstract than put into practice.
    — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of novel
Adjective
  • But Sung, Bennett and Miller stayed his order, finding that the California deployment could go forward under an obscure and virtually untested subsection of the law.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The area sits within the Lake Superior clay plain, where the surrounding soil is largely composed of clay, which can make the water murky and obscure objects beneath the surface.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of obscure
Adjective
  • However, unbeknownst to the girls, the men left the original villa setting and snuck away to Casa Amor, a second filming location where six bombshells in sexy costumes were waiting to steal guys' hearts.
    — Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 22 June 2026
  • That same night, unbeknownst to friends and family, the couple spontaneously wed in a courthouse wedding.
    — Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 16 June 2026
Definition of unbeknownst
Adjective
  • Alexi’s script gets to the heart of the strange, necessary bonds between humans and animals.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Something in the movement of his hands, too fast, too smooth, too precise, and something in the play of the light and shadow across his knuckles, reveals that something strange is at work.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of strange
Adjective
  • Along with the ability to manage registries and lists, Alexa for Shopping can now update your delivery instructions, answer billing questions about unrecognized charges and refunds, as well as pause and change recurring deliveries.
    — Emma Roth, The Verge, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The possibility other unrecognized groups will try to follow suit.
    — Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of unrecognized
Adjective
  • The Media Lab is an unprecedented electronic playground born of AI.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Industrial modernity produced buildings at unprecedented speed while also accelerating the rate at which the technologies, industries, and infrastructures that gave them purpose became obsolete.
    — Julian Rose, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of unprecedented
Adjective
  • While Usher was off basking in the afterglow of Confessions, maturing into a divorcé in the mid-2000s, the R&B world was already priming itself for a new-school successor.
    — Clover Hope, Pitchfork, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Many voters thank him ​for pulling Serbia from economic obscurity and orchestrating a period of sustained modernisation including new highways, railways, schools and hospitals.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of new

Browse Nearby Words

unknowledgeable
unknown
unlace
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unknown.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unknown. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

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