unknown quantity
The phrase 'unknown quantity' is used to describe someone or something whose characteristics or potential are not yet fully understood or established.
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Definition
B2General
(idiomatic)A person or thing whose abilities, characteristics, or effects are not yet known or fully understood.
Example
- The new player is an unknown quantity; we don't know how well he'll perform.
- The project's outcome is an unknown quantity due to the many variables involved.
B2Mathematics
(technical)A variable or factor in a situation that is not known or predictable.
Example
- In the equation, x is the unknown quantity we need to solve for.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "unknown quantity":
hidden quantityunknown numberhidden variablerandom variablefree variable