méconnu

méconnu

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /me.kɔ.ny/

• Audio

  (file)

Participle

méconnu (feminine méconnue, masculine plural méconnus, feminine plural méconnues)

1. past participle of méconnaître

   adjectival uses

   1. (of people and things) little known, unfamiliar (previously encountered but not familiar or well-acquainted); unrecognized, unfamiliar, unidentified (previously encountered but not known by name or identity)

      Synonyms: ignoré, peu connu

      Elle habite une maison modeste dans un quartier méconnu de son amant. ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   2. (of people and things) misunderstood (which is correctly recognized or identified, but whose true nature, qualities, character, etc. are not)

      Synonyms: incompris, mal connu

   3. (of people and things) underappreciated, unrecognized (deserving or worthy of recognition that is not received)

      Synonym: sous-estimé

      comblé de talents méconnus ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

      un bienfaiteur méconnu ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   4. (of people) unsung, obscure (not famous but deserving to be)

      Synonym: obscur

      des musiciens méconnus ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Usage notes

• The word méconnu refers to something that has been encountered or someone acquainted, but is not entirely familiar; a related term, inconnu, refers to someone or something not previously encountered and totally unknown.[1][2]

References

• “méconnu”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
• “méconnu” in Dictionnaire Français en ligne Larousse.
• “méconnu” in Dico en ligne Le Robert.

1. 2022 June 23 (last accessed) “Inconnu et méconnu | Blog alorthographe”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)‎, archived from the original on 28 September 2021:

2. What is the difference between "inconnu" and "méconnu" ? "inconnu" vs "méconnu" ? | HiNative