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

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. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unknown This week alone has seen a string of alarming incidents where AI uncovered previously unknown security flaws deep in the infrastructure of the internet. — Cameron Peters, Vox, 23 Oct. 2026 Portioned cups of sauces, dressings have some sort of liquid sitting on the lids from an unknown source. — Nwa Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026 The driver fled in an unknown direction, but detectives identified the vehicle by parts that were left on the road after the crash. — Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026 That's a total reservation payment of $250,000, even though the vehicle's final purchase price remains unknown. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 18 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
  • When a manageable investment can bring a decent return, producers can risk something unfamiliar, and audiences can afford to try it.
    — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Shimizu notes that everyone carries a different idea of what cinema is, and that films made with a theater in mind are becoming unfamiliar to many.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of unfamiliar
Adjective
  • In 1938 Hungarian journalist László Bíró, fed up with the constant need to refill fountain pens and deal with their messy ink, patented a novel design.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Yet every experiment brings us closer to a system that can learn about novel changes in its surroundings and make informed choices on what action to take next.
    — Mike McRae October 19, New Atlas, 20 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
  • After Orson’s reading from the novel, the broadcast cuts in on a weather report that is then followed by a dance music concert, but the smooth tango music is interrupted by breaking news of strange explosions on Mars.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Oct. 2026
  • However, a strange light phenomenon and the arrival of her physicist ex-husband pull her back into the scientific world.
    — Cooper Katz McKim, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of strange
Adjective
  • The possibility other unrecognized groups will try to follow suit.
    — Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2026
  • By contrast, the same injury in an older adult may be affected by reduced balance, lower bone density, tendon degeneration, arthritis, drug side effects or an unrecognized fracture.
    — Michael Swartzon, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of unrecognized
Adjective
  • Iran’s allies and proxies, including those in Iraq and Yemen, have also struck Saudi oil facilities and civilian infrastructure, putting unprecedented pressure on the kingdom.
    — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Monday’s filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission showed that Anthropic, like other AI firms, is splashing out unprecedented amounts of cash on cloud services to run its AI models.
    — Steve Kopack, NBC news, 26 Oct. 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 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All