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.
Unfamiliar surroundings and schedules can be stressful for pooches, but planning ahead can help a lot.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
Unfamiliar places bring out everyone’s insecurities, and if the person who has long claimed to have your back doesn’t make you feel safe, that’s a problem.
From Salon • Mar. 10, 2025
Unfamiliar with the area, I had been preparing to turn left as directed by my sat-nav.
From BBC • Oct. 21, 2023
Unfamiliar with the ways of life in Europe, the Cuban family initially worried whether they would find acceptance.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 11, 2021
That day, Ms. Laverne pushed us out—from the Familiar to the Unfamiliar.
From "Harbor Me" by Jacqueline Woodson
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.
