Meaning & use
unknown territory
Last updated
Meaning
phraseuncountable
A place or situation that is unfamiliar and about which little is known.
Grammar: Used as an uncountable noun phrase: enter unknown territory, be in unknown territory. It does not usually take 'a' or a plural.
Patterns
- enter unknown territory
- be in unknown territory
- move into unknown territory
The company is entering unknown territory with this new technology.
After the accident, she found herself in unknown territory, unsure how to recover.
For the team, playing in the final was unknown territory.
Common combinations
- enter unknown territory
- The explorers entered unknown territory without a map.
- be in unknown territory
- With this diagnosis, we are in unknown territory.
- move into unknown territory
- The economy is moving into unknown territory.
- venture into unknown territory
- She decided to venture into unknown territory and start her own business.
Synonyms and how they differ
- uncharted territory
- Very similar and often used figuratively; 'uncharted' emphasizes that there is no map or guidance, while 'unknown' simply means not known.
- the unknown
- More general and abstract; it refers to anything not known, not a specific situation or place.
Opposites
Commonly confused: unknown territory or unknown entity?
unknown territory vs unknown entity
Unknown entity refers to a person or organization whose nature is not known, while unknown territory refers to an unfamiliar situation or place.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'unknown territory' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Unknown territory is used figuratively for an unfamiliar situation, so feeling in unknown territory after losing a job fits. Option 2 is wrong because a cake is not a territory. Option 3 is wrong because a person is an unknown entity, not unknown territory. Option 4 is wrong because you cannot buy 'an unknown territory' as an object.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “unknown territory”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.