familiarity

noun

fa·​mil·​iar·​i·​ty fə-ˌmi-lē-ˈ(y)er-ə-tē 

-ˈ(y)a-rə-;

-ˌmil-ˈyer-, 

-ˌmil-ˈya-rə-

plural familiarities

1

a

: the quality or state of being familiar

b

: a state of close relationship : intimacy

2

a

: absence of ceremony : informality

b

: an unduly informal act or expression : impropriety

c

: a sexual liberty

3

: close acquaintance with something

Synonyms of familiarity

• intimacy
• belonging
• kinship

Examples of familiarity in a Sentence

He spoke to everyone with the easy familiarity of an old friend.

the elderly couple enjoys a familiarity that is the result of many years of happy marriage

Recent Examples on the Web

Its autonomous system rerouted the aircraft without needing previous familiarity with the destination airport. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026

Josberger also told the outlet that the incident was disturbing to him as an avid cyclist and the father of a child who recently learned to ride a bike, especially given his familiarity with the path. — Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2026

Horcoff has deep familiarity with the organization, its players and personnel. — Max Bultman, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Successful brands such as Buc-ee’s, for example, can create customer familiarity that might spur copycats looking for shortcuts to gain market share. — Patrik Jonsson, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for familiarity

• angularity
• bipolarity
• capillarity
• cellularity
• circularity
• granularity
• insincerity
• insularity
• modularity
• osmolarity
• popularity
• regularity

Kids Definition

familiarity

noun

fa·​mil·​iar·​i·​ty fə-ˌmil-ˈyar-ət-ē 

-ˌmil-ē-ˈar-

plural familiarities

1

: close friendship : intimacy

2

: lack of formality : freedom and ease in personal relations

3

: close acquaintance with or knowledge of something

4

: an overly bold act or expression