unfamiliar
adjective
un·fa·mil·iar
ˌən-fə-ˈmil-yər 
: not familiar:
a
: not well-known : strange
an unfamiliar place
—often used with toused words that were unfamiliar to me
b
: not well acquainted
unfamiliar with the subject
Examples of unfamiliar in a Sentence
He gets nervous when he is in unfamiliar surroundings.
The book is full of unfamiliar words.
Recent Examples on the Web
These adventures involve skills, terrain, and exposure that are unfamiliar to all novices.
—
Maya Silver, Outside, 18 Nov. 2025
His bedraggled manager, Ron (Adam Sandler), arranges for a lifetime-achievement award to await him in Europe; his publicist Liz (Laura Dern) runs interference on the viral videos that start to leak out of a hapless Jay stumbling around train cars, looking confused in the unfamiliar environment.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 14 Nov. 2025
Emerging from the shimmering heat in the desert outskirts of Dubai is an unfamiliar sight in the Middle East, a baseball field.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 14 Nov. 2025
And while this particular standoff has been unusually drawn out, the sticking points wouldn’t be unfamiliar to anyone who’s participated in one of the hundreds of similar scrums that have taken place since the dawn of the cable bundle.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 14 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unfamiliar
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Maya Silver, Outside, 18 Nov. 2025
His bedraggled manager, Ron (Adam Sandler), arranges for a lifetime-achievement award to await him in Europe; his publicist Liz (Laura Dern) runs interference on the viral videos that start to leak out of a hapless Jay stumbling around train cars, looking confused in the unfamiliar environment.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 14 Nov. 2025
Emerging from the shimmering heat in the desert outskirts of Dubai is an unfamiliar sight in the Middle East, a baseball field.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 14 Nov. 2025
And while this particular standoff has been unusually drawn out, the sticking points wouldn’t be unfamiliar to anyone who’s participated in one of the hundreds of similar scrums that have taken place since the dawn of the cable bundle.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 14 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unfamiliar
Cite this Entry
“Unfamiliar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unfamiliar. Accessed 21 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unfamiliar
adjective
un·fa·mil·iar
ˌən-fə-ˈmil-yər
1
: not well-known : strange
an unfamiliar place
2
: not well acquainted
unfamiliar with the subject
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