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
Obviously, this public lobbying campaign for WBD is unfamiliar territory for Netflix.
—
Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 21 Feb. 2026
Now, Violet must journey beyond the failing wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre.
—Ashlee Conour, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
Creating a new silhouette from scratch requires costly molds across multiple sizes, and Nike has learned that consumers increasingly prefer classic designs over unfamiliar forms.
—Christopher Claxton, Billboard, 19 Feb. 2026
One-on-one sessions with an unfamiliar guide, as sold by some companies, increase the chance for the sessions themselves and post-session processing to go sideways.
—Erica Rex, STAT, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unfamiliar
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Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 21 Feb. 2026
Now, Violet must journey beyond the failing wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre.
—Ashlee Conour, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
Creating a new silhouette from scratch requires costly molds across multiple sizes, and Nike has learned that consumers increasingly prefer classic designs over unfamiliar forms.
—Christopher Claxton, Billboard, 19 Feb. 2026
One-on-one sessions with an unfamiliar guide, as sold by some companies, increase the chance for the sessions themselves and post-session processing to go sideways.
—Erica Rex, STAT, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unfamiliar
Cite this Entry
“Unfamiliar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unfamiliar. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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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