familiar

American  

[fuh-mil-yer] / fəˈmɪl jər /

adjective

1. commonly or generally known or seen.

   a familiar sight.

2. well-acquainted; thoroughly conversant.

   to be familiar with a subject.

3. informal; easygoing; unceremonious; unconstrained.

   to write in a familiar style.

4. closely intimate or personal.

   a familiar friend; to be on familiar terms.

5. unduly intimate; too personal; taking liberties; presuming.

   The duchess disliked familiar servants.

   Synonyms:

   bold, forward

6. domesticated; tame.

7. of or relating to a family or household.

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noun

familiars plural

1. a familiar friend or associate.

2.  familiar spirit.  Witchcraft and Demonology. a supernatural spirit or demon, often in the form of an animal, supposed to serve and aid a witch or other individual.

3. Roman Catholic Church.

   1. an officer of the Inquisition, employed to arrest accused or suspected persons.

   2. a person who belongs to the household of the pope or of a bishop, rendering domestic though not menial service.

familiar British  

/ fəˈmɪlɪə /

adjective

1. well-known; easily recognized

   a familiar figure

2. frequent or customary

   a familiar excuse

3. acquainted

4. friendly; informal

5. close; intimate

6. more intimate than is acceptable; presumptuous

7. an archaic word for familial

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noun

1. Also called: familiar spirit.  a supernatural spirit often assuming animal form, supposed to attend and aid a witch, wizard, etc

2. a person, attached to the household of the pope or a bishop, who renders service in return for support

3. an officer of the Inquisition who arrested accused persons

4. a friend or frequent companion

familiar Idioms  

1. see have a familiar ring.

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Synonym Usage

Familiar, confidential, intimate suggest a long association between persons. Familiar means well-acquainted with another person: a familiar friend. Confidential suggests a sense of mutual trust that extends to the sharing of confidences and secrets: a confidential adviser. Intimate suggests close acquaintance or connection, often based on interest, sympathy, or affection: intimate and affectionate letters.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• familiarness
  noun
• nonfamiliar
  adjective
• overfamiliar
  adjective
• prefamiliar
  adjective
• quasi-familiar
  adjective
• ultrafamiliar
  adjective
• familiarly
  adverb
• nonfamiliarly
  adverb
• overfamiliarly
  adverb
• prefamiliarly
  adverb
• quasi-familiarly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• familiars
  plural

Etymology

Origin of familiar

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Latin familiāris “of a household,” see family, -ar ¹

Explanation

When something is so commonplace you know it well, it's familiar. A familiar song might be one that you hum along to without even thinking about it. Like family, anything or anyone you're familiar with has been in your life for a while. It can be used in many ways. After six years of Spanish, you'll be familiar with how to conjugate verbs. You and your close friends are on familiar terms. The smell of musty tent fabric is familiar to anyone who grew up going camping a lot, and may bring on a wave of nostalgia.

Example Sentences

All of which adds up to a familiar Scottish tale of drama and longing, ambition and despair.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026

The calls are comforting, revolving around familiar topics such as health and the weather.

From BBC • Jun. 25, 2026

Understandably, you yearn for those familiar sights and faces, and the comfort of your former home.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 25, 2026

"As we stand on the edge of our 250th year of independence, I am thrilled to declare that America is back," Trump said, reworking a familiar rallying cry.

From Barron's • Jun. 25, 2026

Or maybe his mind was just trying once more to turn something surreal and unbelievable into something ordinary and familiar and easily dismissed.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Related Words

• intimate
• mundane
• recognizable
• simple
• usual