Synonyms of familiar

familiar 1 of 2

adjective

fə-ˈmil-yər 

1

as in close

closely acquainted

the little inside jokes that people who have long been familiar like to share

Synonyms & Similar Words

• close
• intimate
• friendly
• comfortable
• inseparable
• chummy
• tight
• bosom
• near
• inward
• especial
• thick
• loving
• dear
• buddy-buddy
• affectionate
• social
• easy
• convivial
• affable
• gracious
• companionable
• cozy
• clannish
• close-knit
• gregarious
• boon
• tight-knit
• genial
• cordial
• hearty
• adoring
• sociable
• neighborly
• fond
• confidential
• warm
• secretive
• amicable
• devoted
• snug
• tenderhearted
• tender

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• distant
• distant
• cold
• remote
• cool
• withdrawn
• unfriendly
• detached
• aloof
• antisocial
• frosty
• reserved
• standoffish
• unsociable

2

as in acquainted

having information especially as a result of study or experience

book editors who are familiar with what is being taught in the schools

Synonyms & Similar Words

• acquainted
• informed
• aware
• up
• conversant
• knowledgeable
• up-to-date
• versed
• well-informed
• in the know
• alive
• mindful
• cognizant
• conscious
• abreast
• sensible
• at home
• sentient
• heedful
• au courant

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unfamiliar
• ignorant
• uninformed
• unaware
• unconscious
• blind
• unmindful
• oblivious
• unacquainted
• insensible
• unknowledgeable
• unwitting
• unknowing
• inattentive
• unheeding

3

as in ubiquitous

often observed or encountered

the woman and her pair of Welsh corgis were a familiar sight in the quiet neighborhood

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ubiquitous
• usual
• common
• commonplace
• ordinary
• frequent
• household
• general
• routine
• quotidian
• everyday
• prevailing
• normal
• popular
• common or garden
• standard
• garden-variety
• regular
• prevalent
• a dime a dozen
• constant
• universal
• mandatory
• continuous
• obligatory
• continual
• recurrent
• incessant
• perennial
• endemic
• rampant
• repeated
• ceaseless
• unceasing
• de rigueur

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unusual
• unfamiliar
• rare
• extraordinary
• seldom
• uncommon
• infrequent
• abnormal
• unnatural
• occasional
• irregular
• intermittent
• sporadic
• aberrant

4

as in arrogant

showing a lack of proper social reserve or modesty

rather too familiar for a first-time guest in our home, the woman kept asking how much we paid for this or for that

Synonyms & Similar Words

• arrogant
• smug
• overfamiliar
• proud
• important
• confident
• bold
• presumptuous
• forward
• immodest
• presuming
• selfish
• sure
• free
• bumptious
• vain
• complacent
• high-and-mighty
• uppity
• disdainful
• snobbish
• pretentious
• supercilious
• hoity-toity
• pompous
• haughty
• saucy
• cavalier
• fresh
• conceited
• domineering
• highfalutin
• superior
• vainglorious
• self-important
• cheeky
• brazen
• egomaniacal
• high-hat
• impudent
• sassy
• bold-faced
• brassy
• cocky
• egotistic
• prideful
• audacious
• self-satisfied
• insolent
• self-assured
• egoistic
• overbold
• self-assertive
• brash
• lordly
• impertinent
• self-confident
• self-complacent
• overweening
• boastful
• pert
• stuck-up
• high-handed
• bragging
• self-conceited
• self-asserting
• imperious
• braggart
• brassbound
• self-absorbed
• self-centered
• self-interested
• self-involved
• self-engrossed
• self-concerned
• self-seeking
• self-infatuated
• self-obsessed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• modest
• unassuming
• humble
• meek
• lowly
• unpretentious
• down-to-earth
• timid
• unassertive
• bashful
• demure
• shy
• timorous
• retiring
• mousy
• diffident
• self-doubting

familiar

2 of 2

noun

fə-ˈmil-yər 

1

as in fan

someone who regularly spends time in a particular place

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fan
• lover
• rat
• guest
• regular
• patron
• denizen
• habitué
• client
• frequenter
• customer
• haunter
• enthusiast
• devotee
• fanatic
• fancier
• addict
• bug
• buff
• aficionado
• maniac
• freak
• fiend
• nut

2

as in friend

a person who has a strong liking for and trust in another

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• friend
• buddy
• intimate
• confidant
• pal
• alter ego
• colleague
• compadre
• chum
• confidante
• comrade
• sister
• acquaintance
• crony
• partner
• associate
• musketeer
• brother
• amigo
• mate
• hearty
• companion
• fellow
• peer
• friendly
• cohort
• ally
• accomplice
• collaborator
• blood brother
• sport
• main man
• benefactor
• pen pal
• supporter
• hobnobber
• sympathizer
• abettor
• confederate
• well-wisher

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• enemy
• foe
• adversary
• competitor
• opponent
• rival
• antagonist
• nemesis
• archenemy

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

Recent Examples of familiar

Adjective

Mercury’s retrograde, which begins on the 26th, could be about revisiting places and people that used to be part of the familiar backdrop of your life. —Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Jan. 2026

These familiar crystals exist in thermal equilibrium, maintaining their structure without energy input. —Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 29 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

Phrases Containing familiar

• familiar spirit