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
2
a
: absence of ceremony : informality
b
: an unduly informal act or expression : impropriety
c
: a sexual liberty
3
: close acquaintance with something
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
Huska’s familiarity with the roster is also a strong point for him, having coached Backlund as far back as a junior, as well as Ryan Lomberg and Rasmus Andersson in the American League.
—
Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Chimpanzees seemed to accept Goodall as one of their own, and the public was fascinated by both her easy familiarity with the creatures as well as her groundbreaking discoveries that showed just how much chimps are like humans.
—Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 1 Oct. 2025
The Dolphins also have plenty of familiarity with Wilson, who spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons in Miami.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
That familiarity could, down the road, help turn this lab innovation into a real-world product, according to researchers.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for familiarity
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Chimpanzees seemed to accept Goodall as one of their own, and the public was fascinated by both her easy familiarity with the creatures as well as her groundbreaking discoveries that showed just how much chimps are like humans.
—Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 1 Oct. 2025
The Dolphins also have plenty of familiarity with Wilson, who spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons in Miami.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
That familiarity could, down the road, help turn this lab innovation into a real-world product, according to researchers.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for familiarity
Cite this Entry
“Familiarity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/familiarity. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share