unknown quantity
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.94 in modern English
34
Scrabble Score
15
Letters
4
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see unknown, quantity.
Example Sentences
- "Whatever he had learned of himself was here of no avail. He was an unknown quantity."
- ". . . the Evening Post of this city to refer to him recently as "the young Belgian painter," and to the general public he is an unknown quantity."
- "The big French diesel is something of an unknown quantity, whereas many French-built electric locomotives developing 3,000 h.p. and more have been well proved in service."
- "In spite of more than three decades of public service, I knew I was an unknown quantity to many of my countrymen and to much of the world when I assumed office."
- "Amin Gemayel, it is felt here, is an unknown quantity and it is impossible to predict how he will act."
- "[H]e was still an unknown quantity – a young, untested figure."