unknown unknowns

A form of unknown unknown — An uncertainty of unknown magnitude, consequence, structure, and probability characteristics, possibly with completely unsuspected existence; something that we don't know that we don't know.

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Meanings

noun
  1. pluralplural of unknown unknown
Cite this entry
APA

unknown unknowns. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unknown%20unknowns

MLA

“unknown unknowns.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unknown%20unknowns. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “unknown unknowns,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unknown%20unknowns.

Source: unknown unknowns on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.