familiar

noun

fa·​mil·​iar fə-ˈmil-yər 

1

: a member of the household of a high official

2

: one who is often seen and well known

especially : an intimate associate : companion

3

: a spirit often embodied in an animal and held to attend and serve or guard a person

… the loathsome toad, the witches' familiar …

—Harvey Graham

4

a

: one who is well acquainted with something

… familiars of violence.

—John Updike

b

: one who frequents a place

… familiars of the embassy.

—Rebecca West

Synonyms of familiar

• fan
• lover
• rat
• guest
• regular
• patron
• denizen
• habitué

Examples of familiar in a Sentence

a longtime familiar of the bar, she would most likely have been there on the night in question

with old familiars the normally reserved writer can be quite warm and funny

Recent Examples on the Web

Cats make wonderful friends and, for the witchy folks among us, maybe even familiars. —Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 28 Nov. 2025

The cast also includes franchise familiars Courteney Cox, Scott Foley, Mason Gooding, and Jasmin Savoy Brown. —Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025

By the end of a run, players could have as many as 15 boons which, on top of temporary weapon upgrades, blessings from Moon, familiars, and more, creates a dizzying amount of customization that’s almost impossible to intentionally recreate verbatim on the regular. —Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2025

The sound of K-pop also hums through the other magical elements of the film, especially HUNTR/X’s weapons and the strange familiars that Rumi and Ji-noo (Ahn Hyo-seop) use to communicate with each other across enemy lines. —Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing familiar

• familiar face
• familiar ground
• familiar spirit
• familiar with

Rhymes for familiar

• conciliar
• unfamiliar

Kids Definition

familiar

1 of 2 noun

fa·​mil·​iar fə-ˈmil-yər 

1

: a close associate : companion

2

: a spirit believed to serve or guard a person

called also familiar spirit

familiar

2 of 2 adjective

1

: closely acquainted : intimate

2

a

: informal sense 1

spoke in a familiar way

b

: too friendly or bold : forward

3

a

: frequently seen or experienced

b

: of everyday occurrence

4

: having a good knowledge

familiar with the rules

familiarly adverb