What is the meaning of unknown quantity?

noun

  • A factor in a given situation whose bearing and importance is not apparent.
    • usage: "I don't know what the new man will do; he's still an unknown quantity"
  • A variable whose values are solutions of an equation.
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
14
 
|15 years ago|1k views|share |citing 
APAWordNet. (2010). unknown quantity. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/unknown_quantity/definitions/1219579
ChicagoWordNet. 2010. "unknown quantity" http://smartdefine.org/unknown_quantity/definitions/1219579 (accessed September 21, 2026).
HarvardWordNet 2010, unknown quantity, Smart Define, viewed 21 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/unknown_quantity/definitions/1219579>.
MLAWordNet. "unknown quantity" 23 October 2010. Web. 21 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/unknown_quantity/definitions/1219579>