Word family noun knowledge the unknown adjective knowing knowledgeable known ≠ unknown verb know adverb knowingly ≠ unknowingly knowledgeably
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishunknownun‧known1 /ˌʌnˈnəʊn◂ $ -ˈnoʊn◂/ ●●● W2 adjective, adverb 1 NOT KNOWNAME OF A PERSONnot known about The murderer’s identity remains unknown. For some unknown reason, Mark quit his job and moved to Greece. a voyage through unknown territory An unknown number of people were killed.2 FAMOUS#not famous an unknown artist3 → unknown to somebody4 → be an unknown quantityExamples from the Corpus
unknown• The year of Gabor's birth is unknown.• She said the flowers were from an unknown admirer.• an unknown artist• As an unknown author, it isn't easy to get your work published.• Yesterday the village was quite unknown, but today it's on the front page of all the newspapers.• There are still a great many unknown insect species in the world.• The picture was painted in the 15th Century by an unknown Italian artist.• Until their first single, the Beatles were virtually unknown outside Hamburg and Liverpool.• Horn was beaten by a relatively unknown politician in the last election.• For some unknown reason, Fred quit his job and moved to Alaska.• We met near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.• After they left Kathmandu they would be travelling through unknown territory.• The Internet has opened up a marketplace where sellers and buyers are virtually unknown to each other.• Most of the stars in the movie are unknown to US audiences.For some unknown reason• Archeologists have discovered a creeping village. For some unknown reason it has moved eleven times.unknownunknown2 noun [countable] 1 FAMOUS#someone who is not famous At that point in her career she was still an unknown.2 something that is not known The long-term effects of the drug are still an unknown.3 → the unknownExamples from the Corpus
unknown• After 30 years in show business, Butler is still an unknown.• a movie made with a cast of complete unknowns• A new version is in the pipeline in which unknowns will be replaced by celebrities. 