desconhecidos

Desconhecidos is the plural form of desconhecido and refers to people whom one does not know. As a noun, it designates individuals whose identity is not known or has not been disclosed. As an adjective, it describes anything that is not known or familiar.

In social contexts, desconhecidos designates strangers or people outside a given circle of acquaintances. In journalism and law enforcement, the term is commonly used to refer to a person whose identity is not yet established or publicly released, such as a suspeito desconhecido or a testemunha protegida. It can also describe anonymous sources or figures in reports where the identity remains undisclosed.

In research and data collection, participants may be described as desconhecidos when their identities are withheld for privacy, or when the population under study is not categorized by familiar identifiers.

Etymology and grammar: from desconhecer, meaning to not know; formed with the prefix des- plus conhecido. The masculine plural is desconhecidos; the feminine is desconhecida or desconhecidas depending on number and gender.

Desconhecidos as a concept often intersects with anonymity and social distance, reflecting both a practical labeling in communications and a broader cultural sense of unfamiliar or unseen individuals.

See also: desconhecido, anonimato, identidade.