adjective
-
not known or experienced; strange
-
not familiar
Other Word 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)
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Strange
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Strange
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
In a new study, the insects successfully completed a completely unfamiliar object manipulation task despite never being taught how to solve it.
From Science Daily • Jul. 3, 2026
Challenges like adjusting to a new language or learning unfamiliar customs and eating different foods can prove exhausting and demoralizing.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 30, 2026
Lodge acknowledges Europe’s a trickier market—multilinguistic, with unfamiliar legal systems and a different currency, but he says you get paid for your trouble.
From Barron's • Jun. 25, 2026
When I finally emerged onto an unfamiliar road, I staggered up to two people standing by a lumberyard and in as few words as possible, asked how to get to IMS.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026
It was familiar and unfamiliar all at once.
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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.
