unknown A2 Topic:People & Society US /ʌnˈnoʊn/ UK /ʌn(ˈn)əʊn/ See IPA manual Freq #2837 Meanings 1 adj Not known; not discovered or identified. The cause of the fire is still unknown. 2 adj Not famous; not known to many people. The film starred a young, unknown actor. 3 noun Something that is not known or understood. Astronauts venture into the unknown every time they leave Earth. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · not known; not discovered... unidentifiedundiscoveredobscure 2 adj · not famous; not known to... anonymousnameless 3 noun · something that is not known... unknown region ↔ Opposites ascertainedfamiliarfamousknownrecognizablerecognizedwell-known Word family Forms unknowns Etymology AI details From Middle English *unknowen, *uniknowen, uniknowe, from Old English unġecnāwen (“unknown”), equivalent to un- + known. *unknowen Middle English unġecnāwen Old English View etymology graph -> Topics People & Society External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # unknown **Type:** Word **Level:** A2 **Part of speech:** adj, noun **IPA (US):** /ʌnˈnoʊn/ **IPA (UK):** /ʌn(ˈn)əʊn/ **Frequency rank:** 2837 ## Meanings 1. Not known; not discovered or identified. 2. Not famous; not known to many people. 3. Something that is not known or understood. ## Examples - The cause of the fire is still unknown. - The film starred a young, unknown actor. - Astronauts venture into the unknown every time they leave Earth. ## Antonyms - ascertained - familiar - famous - known - recognizable - recognized - well-known ## Roots and Affixes - Root: *unknowen - Root: unġecnāwen - Affix: un- - not ## Etymology From Middle English *unknowen, *uniknowen, uniknowe, from Old English unġecnāwen (“unknown”), equivalent to un- + known. ## AI Etymology Unknown is from Middle English *unknowen, *uniknowen, uniknowe, from Old English unġecnāwen (“unknown”), equivalent to un- + known. The historical line also includes Middle English *unknowen, Old English unġecnāwen. In present-day use, it can mean not known; not discovered or identified, or not famous; not known to many people. ## Topics - People & Society markdown