familiar
Americanadjective
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commonly or generally known or seen.
a familiar sight.
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well-acquainted; thoroughly conversant.
to be familiar with a subject.
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informal; easygoing; unceremonious; unconstrained.
to write in a familiar style.
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closely intimate or personal.
a familiar friend; to be on familiar terms.
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unduly intimate; too personal; taking liberties; presuming.
The duchess disliked familiar servants.
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domesticated; tame.
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of or relating to a family or household.
noun
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a familiar friend or associate.
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familiar spirit. Witchcraft and Demonology. a supernatural spirit or demon, often in the form of an animal, supposed to serve and aid a witch or other individual.
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Roman Catholic Church.
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an officer of the Inquisition, employed to arrest accused or suspected persons.
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a person who belongs to the household of the pope or of a bishop, rendering domestic though not menial service.
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adjective
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well-known; easily recognized
a familiar figure
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frequent or customary
a familiar excuse
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acquainted
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friendly; informal
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close; intimate
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more intimate than is acceptable; presumptuous
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an archaic word for familial
noun
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Also called: familiar spirit. a supernatural spirit often assuming animal form, supposed to attend and aid a witch, wizard, etc
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a person, attached to the household of the pope or a bishop, who renders service in return for support
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an officer of the Inquisition who arrested accused persons
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a friend or frequent companion
Related Words
Familiar, confidential, intimate suggest a long association between persons. Familiar means well-acquainted with another person: a familiar friend. Confidential suggests a sense of mutual trust that extends to the sharing of confidences and secrets: a confidential adviser. Intimate suggests close acquaintance or connection, often based on interest, sympathy, or affection: intimate and affectionate letters.
Other Word Forms
- familiarly adverb
- familiarness noun
- nonfamiliar adjective
- nonfamiliarly adverb
- overfamiliar adjective
- overfamiliarly adverb
- prefamiliar adjective
- prefamiliarly adverb
- quasi-familiar adjective
- quasi-familiarly adverb
- ultrafamiliar adjective
Etymology
Origin of familiar
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Latin familiāris “of a household,” family, -ar 1
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.
"Conversely, when brides were familiar with the story of the dress, like with a hand-me-down, they were far more positive about it and treated it more like treasure than a cursed item."
From BBC
It was a painfully familiar scene for the Trojans, who have found new ways to unravel after halftime all season.
From Los Angeles Times
Hughes also keenly understood that, because these personalities were so familiar, his characters wouldn’t stand out to viewers unless they pushed their paradigm.
From Salon
Their goal is to move closer to a future in which familiar compounds help guide advanced precision medicine.
From Science Daily
Many of his customers were familiar faces, though.
From BBC
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.
