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

Waymo expects a smooth ramp-up due to its familiarity with the region, though Tretter notes that Waymo rideshare won’t appear overnight. —Jackie Charniga, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025

So there’s a little familiarity there. —Alex Zietlow november 5, Charlotte Observer, 5 Nov. 2025

Indeed, one of the goals of this expedition is to develop and refine best practices in collecting samples for genome sequencing and to train a cadre of young lepidopterists, who have varying levels of familiarity with the technologies of genome sequencing and annotation. —Glenn Zorpette, IEEE Spectrum, 4 Nov. 2025

Here is the iron form of the grief memoir, no less powerful for its deep familiarity. —James Wood, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025

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