unacquainted
Britishadjective
-
not familiar or conversant with (someone or something)
-
(of people) not having met or been introduced
Explanation
If you're unacquainted with someone, the two of you have never met. If you and your next-door neighbor are unacquainted, it would be friendly to introduce yourself. When people are unacquainted, they don't know each other, and if you're unacquainted with something, it's completely unfamiliar to you. So if your best friend is unacquainted with the music of your favorite band, you might decide to buy her a concert ticket, so she can become familiar (or acquainted) with their music. The Latin root, accognoscere, means "know well."
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.
Ten minutes and a flutter of scissor kicks later, my thighs felt like concrete pylons, and my hip flexors, which I was previously unacquainted with, were screaming.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
For those unacquainted with a typewriter, it was once a popular machine for writing on paper.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2023
To anyone unacquainted, this seemed like a truly bizarre moment.
From Salon ● Nov. 9, 2022
But residents aren’t completely dependent on income from people passing through, nor are they unacquainted with profound change.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 19, 2022
“The spelling of my country estate is a little difficult for those unacquainted with the language.”
From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie
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.
