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Definition of familiarnext
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familiar

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective familiar contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of familiar are common, ordinary, plain, popular, and vulgar. While all these words mean "generally met with and not in any way special, strange, or unusual," familiar stresses the fact of being generally known and easily recognized.

a familiar melody

When would common be a good substitute for familiar?

The words common and familiar can be used in similar contexts, but common implies usual everyday quality or frequency of occurrence and may additionally suggest inferiority or coarseness.

a common error
lacked common honesty
common manners

Where would ordinary be a reasonable alternative to familiar?

The words ordinary and familiar are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, ordinary stresses conformance in quality or kind with the regular order of things.

an ordinary pleasant summer day
a very ordinary sort of man

When could plain be used to replace familiar?

While the synonyms plain and familiar are close in meaning, plain is likely to suggest homely simplicity.

plain hard-working people

When is popular a more appropriate choice than familiar?

In some situations, the words popular and familiar are roughly equivalent. However, popular applies to what is accepted by or prevalent among people in general sometimes in contrast to upper classes or special groups.

a writer of popular romances

How do vulgar and popular relate to one another, in the sense of familiar?

Vulgar, otherwise similar to popular, is likely to carry derogatory connotations (as of inferiority or coarseness).

souvenirs designed to appeal to the vulgar taste

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of familiar
Adjective
Reyes is a familiar figure in South Florida, having previously served as Miami-Dade County's director of public safety and having run for Miami-Dade sheriff. Ivan Taylor, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026 The action eventually moves to Medellín, with Pine on the trail of a smooth young Colombian mogul, Teddy Dos Santos (Diego Calva), whose combination of philanthropic ties and unsavory connections sound a bit too familiar. Judy Berman, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
Noun
The Santal, in South Asia, believed that witches (always female) copulated with spirit familiars and devoured the organs of children. Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 17 May 2025 But before Guillermo leaves for good, Nandor offers him a seat in his coffin, which unexpectedly is revealed to be the secret entrance to the underground crime-fighting lair much to the former familiar's delight and surprise. Stacy Lambe, People.com, 17 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for familiar
Recent Examples of Synonyms for familiar
Adjective
  • Traffic concerns remained a prominent theme of the more than 100 emails the city received in early December, but many people expressed excitement at the prospect of a closer Costco.
    Rose Evans January 8, Idaho Statesman, 8 Jan. 2026
  • The Clippers raced to a 14-5 lead, but the Knicks answered with eight straight points and the game was close for the first three quarters.
    CBS News, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • The Great Square is also a good starting point to become acquainted with the colors of the stars.
    Joe Rao, Space.com, 16 Nov. 2025
  • In addition to its informative aspects, the event offers numerous opportunities for networking, Manning added, allowing the attendees to become acquainted and refer business to each other.
    Janice Phelan, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The Australia native is set to become an even more ubiquitous celebrity crush with the release of Wuthering Heights on Valentine’s Day 2026.
    Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 10 Jan. 2026
  • Online courses are ubiquitous now in the remote era and, for the right candidate, can be the ideal way to supplement your income without having to sacrifice your full-time work schedule.
    Matt Richardson, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • A lot of people who are that level of arrogant, there’s also an immense insecurity, right?
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
  • The boy is arrogant, Helen thinks.
    Sadia Shepard, New Yorker, 11 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Following her participation in the event, which reunited several of the stars of the famed 1966 Batman live-action series, Newmar won't attend any other fan conventions or expos.
    Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Jan. 2026
  • Since Dynasty, Pamela Bellwood (née King), known to Dynasty fans as Claudia Blaisdel Carrington, has starred both on TV and in film, including in an episode of The Twilight Zone in 1989 and with a stint as a grown-up Becca on Life Goes On in 1992.
    Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Victor Quispe Victor Quispe The friend said Quispe was a barber, and he recently got married and his wife is expecting.
    Lisa Rozner, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
  • First, Monty Miller (a suave, anguished Jon Hamm), Tommy’s lifelong friend and billionaire founder of M-Tex, dies suddenly, but not before naming the fixer as the new company president.
    Michael M. Rosen, The Washington Examiner, 9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • At that point, the operator would recite the most intimate details of a patient’s health history to hook her before launching into a few basic screening questions.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Jan. 2026
  • The couple tied the knot in an intimate wedding on June 10, 2003, according to an anniversary X post.
    Alexandra Hurtado, PEOPLE, 11 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • Fortunately, the American public is much more informed and less likely to be deceived by the meat and dairy industry than in 1977.
    Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 11 Jan. 2026
  • Leadership in the Civil Rights Division, overseen by Harmeet Dhillon, informed staff in the division's criminal section that there would not be an investigation, two sources said.
    Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 10 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Familiar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/familiar. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.

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