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

Definition of familiarity

1a : the quality or state of being familiar

b : a state of close relationship : intimacy

2a : absence of ceremony : informality

b : an unduly informal act or expression : impropriety

c : a sexual liberty

3 : close acquaintance with something

Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about familiarity

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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

Coincidentally, both Marsai and Nico grew up with a similar familiarity with Hollywood and the way the entertainment industry works. — Claire Dodson, Teen Vogue, "Marsai Martin and Nico Parker Are Smart, Unapologetic, and Proving Grown-Ups Wrong," 21 Mar. 2019 Anybody who had some familiarity with the industry would have recognized that. — Sam Wood, Philly.com, "Metropolis Farms' CEO Jack Griffin is either the farmer of the future or a fantastic fraud," 4 June 2018 This one book covers the 17 countries which comprise the West Africa region, and among them are Morocco and Nigeria, names with which most of us have some passing familiarity. — Sara Clarkson, chicagotribune.com, "Clarkson: Finding local connections on the big continent of Africa," 30 May 2018 What makes the pairing unusual is that the teams have little familiarity with each other. — Eddie Timanus, USA TODAY, "NCAA men's lacrosse championship preview: Yale vs. Duke," 27 May 2018 DirectTV Now and WatchTV — has given him a deep familiarity with the recent shift in how media is distributed. — New York Times, "HBO Must Get Bigger and Broader, Says Its New Overseer," 8 July 2018 The daughter, Callie Wade, had more than a passing familiarity with West Africa and had done some interesting things since graduating from Hinsdale Central. — Sara Clarkson, chicagotribune.com, "Clarkson: Finding local connections on the big continent of Africa," 30 May 2018 Anyone who has even a passing familiarity with science-fiction tropes knows what happens next. — Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "Detroit: Become Human review: Robotic in all of the wrong ways," 24 May 2018 The tendency toward artistic surprise on the one hand and a highly manipulative familiarity on the other came together and created the tastes and expectations of moviegoers for a generation. — Stephen Metcalf, The New Yorker, "How Superheroes Made Movie Stars Expendable," 19 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'familiarity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.