unbeknownst

un·be·known

U u

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [uhn-bi-nohn]
- /ˌʌn bɪˈnoʊn/
- /ˌʌn.bɪˈnəʊn/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [uhn-bi-nohn]
- /ˌʌn bɪˈnoʊn/

Definitions of unbeknownst word

adjective unbeknownst unknown; unperceived; without one's knowledge (usually followed by to). 1
prepositional phrase unbeknownst If something happens unbeknownst to you or unbeknown to you, you do not know about it. 0
adverb unbeknownst (followed by to) without the knowledge of. 0

See all 3 definitions of unbeknownst

Information block about the term

Origin of unbeknownst

First appearance:

before 1630

One of the 42% oldest English words

1630-40; un-1 + beknown (late Middle English beknowe, past participle of beknowen); see be-, known

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Unbeknownst

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Unbeknownst

unbeknownst popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 59% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.

unbeknownst usage trend in Literature

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