unbeknownst
If someone plans your birthday party unbeknownst to you — that is, you're completely unaware of it — it will probably be a surprise party.
Used as an adjective or adverb, unbeknownst is descended from unbeknown (1848), which combines the prefix un- ("not") with be ("by, about") and know. Sometimes the FBI might be secretly working on a case, unbeknownst to the CIA, which is also secretly working on it. Imagine their frustration when everyone finds out they could have shared information and work, while saving time and manpower.
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(usually used with `to') occurring or existing without the knowledge of
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without someone's knowledge“unbeknownst to me, she made all the arrangements”synonyms: unbeknown
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Vocabulary lists containing unbeknownst
In this memoir, Sara Saedi describes her shocking discovery as a young teen that she was an undocumented immigrant and her journey to getting a green card.
After the death of their daughter, Frank McCourt's impoverished immigrant parents decide to return to Ireland. With humor and tenderness, this Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir tells the story of his early life there.