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)
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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.
I was previously unfamiliar with the Iranian artists in the show, and I’m sure I missed many cultural and linguistic references in their works.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
Casey and Gen’s journey from competitors to confidantes is the film’s familiar emotional center, but tucked into an unfamiliar narrative.
From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026
Back in 2009, many Americans were unfamiliar with Portuguese water dogs, until President Obama brought Bo home to the White House.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
"Where I went was unfamiliar to me, it was like nowhere I'd ever been before, and there were practices and behaviours that were completely alien to me," he added.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
When she said that, he frowned and looked at Redemption, then back at Jam, an unfamiliar sharpness taking over his face even as he kept his voice the same, calm and unworried.
From "Pet" by Akwaeke Emezi
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.
