familiarity

noun fa·mil·iar·i·ty \ fə-ˌmi-lē-ˈ(y)er-ə-tē , -ˈ(y)a-rə- ; -ˌmil-ˈyer- , -ˌmil-ˈya-rə- \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of familiarity

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

See familiarity defined for English-language learners

See familiarity defined for kids

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 of familiarity from the Web

Also, the building is a former Tumbleweeds, as is Point Burger Bar's first location, so there was familiarity with the construction, Ward said.

— carol deptolla, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Point Burger Bar will open in New Berlin on April 11," 4 Apr. 2018
Those who followed Facebook’s privacy gaffes over the years may feel a sense of familiarity.

— barbara ortutay, BostonGlobe.com, "Facebook privacy scandal grows: Up to 87 million affected," 4 Apr. 2018
Titans coach Mike Vrabel has plenty of familiarity with Ohio State, having played there in the mid-1990s and serving three years on staff as a defensive coach from 2011-13.

— eddie brown, sandiegouniontribune.com, "NFL Mock Draft 2018: Three-round projections," 4 Apr. 2018
Like Hurley, Moore brings vast experience and contacts for recruiting in the Northeast and with his familiarity at the school will help the new coach settle in.

— dom amore, courant.com, "Tom Moore Expected To Return To UConn As Part Of Dan Hurley's Staff," 22 Mar. 2018
There's already some familiarity with the Cessna 208 Caravan airframe in the Afghan Air Force—the service currently owns 24 of them for use as transport and utility aircraft.

— sean gallagher, Ars Technica, "US buys Afghanistan “Eliminator” attack planes—Cessnas with Hellfires," 14 Mar. 2018
His familiarity with pop-psychology self-help texts makes him impatient with Evangeline's line of questioning designed to steer him back to the remote past.

— david rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Good for Otto': Theater Review," 9 Mar. 2018
New offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates comes from the Shanahan coaching tree, so Hyde will have familiarity with his offense.

— steven ruiz, For The Win, "Ranking the top-25 NFL free agents and predicting where they'll sign," 7 Mar. 2018
Patricia had a lot of familiarity with the 3-4 in his time with the New England Patriots.

— carlos monarrez, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Lions GM, coach should stop playing games and answer questions," 2 Mar. 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.