adjective
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not known or experienced; strange
-
not familiar
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of unfamiliar
Explanation
Unfamiliar things are unknown or unexplored. On your first day at a new school, every single face you see is unfamiliar. Traveling in an unfamiliar city is easier with a map or a GPS, and meeting the unfamiliar people who live there is easier if you speak at least a few words of their language. Some people love eating unfamiliar food — things they've never tasted before — while others aren't fond of it. When something (or someone) is familiar, it's known to you — the word shares a Latin root with family. Add the "not" prefix un-, and you've got unfamiliar.
Vocabulary lists containing unfamiliar
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Strange
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Strange
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Many were already torn over the war, traumatized by Oct. 7th and staggered by an unfamiliar blast of antisemitism in what has long been a haven.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
These tests examine behaviors such as willingness to explore open spaces and interest in unfamiliar mice.
From Science Daily • Jun. 3, 2026
Given how unfamiliar it looks as a Ferrari, the Luce may also attract new customers to the brand, Wong said.
From BBC • May 30, 2026
He added that, stuck in an unfamiliar country, thousands of miles from home, where the main languages are French and Lingala and few people speak English or Spanish, there is just "nothing to do".
From BBC • May 22, 2026
But the Cold War created new and unfamiliar battlefields, for both Blake and millions of other soldiers and citizens around the world.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
