unknown

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ʌnˈnəʊn/, SAMPA: /Vn"n@Un/
• (US) enPR: ŭn-nōnʹ, IPA: /ʌnˈnoʊn/, SAMPA: /Vn"noUn/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

unknown (not comparable)

1. Not known; unidentified; not well known.

Synonyms

anonymous unfamiliar uncharted undiscovered

unexplored unidentified unnamed unrecognized

unrevealed unascertained obscure unsung

Translations

not known

Albanian: panjohur (sq) Arabic: مجهول (ar) (majhūl) Catalan: desconegut (ca) Chinese: Mandarin: 未知 (zh) (wèizhī), 不明 (zh) (bùmíng) Czech: neznámý (cs) m. Danish: ubekendt (da), ukendt (da) Dutch: onbekend (nl), ongekend (nl), ongeweten (nl) Esperanto: nekonata (eo) Finnish: tuntematon (fi) French: inconnu (fr) Galician: descoñecido (gl) German: unbekannt (de) Greek: Ancient: ἄγνωστος (agnōstos), ἄγνωτος (agnōtos) Hungarian: ismeretlen (hu)

Icelandic: óþekktur (is) m., ókunnur (is) m. Indonesian: tak diketahui Italian: ignoto (it), sconosciuto (it) Japanese: 未知 (ja) (みち, michi), 不明 (ja) (ふめい, fumei), 知らない (ja) (しらない, shiranai) Kurdish: نه‌ناسراو Latin: incognitus (la), ignoratus (la), ignotus (la), nescitus (la), obscurus (la) Norwegian: ukjent (no) Persian: مجهول (fa) (najhul) Polish: nieznany (pl) Portuguese: desconhecido (pt) m., desconhecida (pt) f. Romanian: necunoscut, neștiut, obscur Russian: неизвестный (ru) (neizvéstnij) Slovene: neznano (sl) Spanish: ignoto (es), desconocido (es)

Noun

unknown (plural unknowns)

1. (algebra) A variable (usually x, y or z) whose value is to be found.
2. Any fact or place about which nothing is known (as in the phrase "into the unknown").
3. A person of no identity; a nonentity
   • 1965, Bob Dylan, Like a Rolling Stone

     How does it feel

     To be on your own

     With no direction home

     Like a complete unknown

     Like a rolling stone?

Translations

variable

Finnish: tuntematon (fi) French: inconnue (fr) f. German: Unbekannte (de) f.

Hungarian: ismeretlen (hu) Icelandic: óþekkt stærð (is) f.

fact or place

Finnish: tuntematon (fi) French: inconnu (fr) m.

Hungarian: ismeretlen (hu)

person of no identity

German: Unbekannter (de) m.

Hungarian: idegen (hu)