Word family noun familiarity ≠ unfamiliarity family familiarization adjective familiar ≠ unfamiliar familial verb familiarize adverb familiarly
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishfamiliarfa‧mil‧i‧ar1 /fəˈmɪliə $ -ər/ ●●○ S3 W2 adjective 1 RECOGNIZEsomeone or something that is familiar is well-known to you and easy to recognize a familiar tunelook/sound familiar The voice on the phone sounded familiar.be familiar to somebody The signs of drug addiction are familiar to most doctors. It was a relief to be back in familiar surroundings. Beggars on the street are becoming a familiar sight. This kind of situation was all too familiar (=very familiar) to John. Her face seems vaguely familiar, but I can’t quite place her.RegisterIn everyday English, people often say that they know something rather than saying it is familiar: The name of the restaurant was not familiar to me. → I didn't know the name of the restaurant.2 → be familiar with something3 → be on familiar terms with somebody4 TALK TO somebodytalking to someone as if you know them well although you do notfamiliar with I thought he was being a bit familiar with my wife.5 informal and friendly in speech, writing etc The novel is written in an easy familiar style. → familiarlyTHESAURUSbe familiar with something to have a good knowledge or understanding of something, because you have used it, read about it etc beforeBefore the interview, make sure you are familiar with the company’s main products.It will take a little while to become familiar with the new software.be used to something (also be accustomed to something formal) to have experienced something before, so that it no longer seems surprising, difficult, strange etcI’m used to eating spicy food.Jay found the job hard to begin with, but he soon got used to it.Consumers have grown accustomed (=become accustomed)to having a lot of choice.Our staff are accustomed to dealing with the needs of foreign clients.be at home with something to feel happy and confident about doing or using something, especially because you have had a lot of practiceTom’s lived in Moscow for 20 years and he’s completely at home with the language.It takes a few weeks for people to feel at home with the system.be comfortable with something/somebody to feel relaxed and not worried about doing something or being with someoneWe’re all becoming increasingly comfortable with buying things online.The activities are intended to help new students feel more comfortable with each other.. Examples from the Corpus
familiar• She was singing along to a tune on the radio that sounded vaguely familiar.• The man seated at the next table looked faintly familiar.• By contrast, the memories of people my age are spookily familiar.• I don't like it when men I've just met are too familiar.• Mimicking the President's familiar accent, DJ Rogers told his listeners that aliens had invaded.• It's nice to see a familiar face - I was afraid I wouldn't know anyone here.• He scanned the audience, searching for a familiar face.• Kylie soon became a familiar figure at some of London's top fashion stores.• The local policeman is now a familiar figure in our school.• From the darkness between the semi-detached houses across the street came the familiar figure of Jack Stone.• Robbie got that familiar goofy expression on his face as I told him the story.• That girl looks familiar. I'm sure I've met her before.• The giant cross has become a familiar landmark to generations of San Franciscans.• Sanders has an easy, familiar style of writing.• It was a relief to be back in the familiar surroundings of my hometown.• It was good to be back in familiar surroundings.• The first track on the album will be instantly familiar to Billie Holliday fans.• This kind of problem will be familiar to many married couples.• Its strange shape has become familiar to us.• That's a familiar tune - what is it?• That morning she heard an old familiar voice on the kitchen radio.• She came up to me and started talking in such a familiar way that I thought I must have met her before.• Gibson's name is familiar -- what else did he write?• By using and learning about the hardware and software, developing country professionals will become familiar with a variety of modern technologies.• Not only will that skill help your re sume, it will make you familiar with on-line job recruiting.• If customers' needs are to be recognized and met, designers and engineers must be familiar with sales and marketing.• Those familiar with Vegetarian Times already know how accessible the recipes are.vaguely familiar• His voice, warm and slightly drunk, sounded vaguely familiar.• The other was of a man, plumpish and vaguely familiar.• The voice on the other end of the line was vaguely familiar.• The young man had seemed vaguely familiar.• Her face was vaguely familiar, and Floyd suddenly became aware that the Administrator was looking at him with a quizzical smile.• She seems vaguely familiar , but I can't quite remember where I know her from.• Although the old Victorian building with its spine of hutted wards was a vaguely familiar place, it was by no means home.• She began to feel vaguely familiar with the names of drinks and their prices.familiarfamiliar2 noun [countable] ROMa cat or other animal that lives with a witch and has magical powersExamples from the Corpus
familiar• Greenfly, whitefly, sawfly are his familiars.• Virtually every adult man, and a few older women, possess familiars.• Some will eventually feel the loneliness as passage, as the rending of the familiar that is part of coming of age.• He was not the conventional stuff of which familiars were made, of course.Origin familiar (1200-1300) Old French familier, from Latin familia; → FAMILY 