unfamiliar

American  

[uhn-fuh-mil-yer] / ˌʌn fəˈmɪl yər /

adjective

1. not familiar; not acquainted with or conversant about.

   to be unfamiliar with a subject.

2. different; unaccustomed; unusual; strange.

   an unfamiliar treat.

   Synonyms:

   new, novel, curious

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unfamiliar British  

/ ˌʌnfəˈmɪljə, ˌʌnfəˌmɪlɪˈærɪtɪ /

adjective

1. not known or experienced; strange

2. not familiar

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Other Word Forms

• unfamiliarity noun
• unfamiliarly adverb

Etymology

Origin of unfamiliar

First recorded in 1585–95; un- ¹ + familiar

Example Sentences

Rescue centres said with winters getting "wetter and wetter" and summers getting warmer, fewer hedgehogs were having a full hibernation, leading to health issues and unfamiliar feeding patterns.

From BBC

For six months, the son of one of the world’s richest men kept hearing the same unfamiliar word: No.

From The Wall Street Journal

For most hardy Labour delegates, defeat is not an unfamiliar feeling.

From BBC

He walked at a fast clip, feeling quite excited because this was, after all, an excursion into the unchartered and unfamiliar.

From Literature

To someone unfamiliar with the condition, all could be mistaken for intoxication, defiance or guilt.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bizarre
• curious
• exotic
• foreign
• new
• obscure
• peculiar
• unaccustomed
• unexpected
• unexplored
• unknown
• unusual