as in strange
not known or experienced before
ordered an unfamiliar wine and was surprised to find that it was much drier than what they were used to
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Recent Examples of unfamiliar
Dispute any unfamiliar charges.
—
Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 5 Mar. 2026
Take a look around The backstory For the unfamiliar, Ritz-Carlton Reserves are the steady five-star brand’s deepest delve yet into uber-luxury.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Mar. 2026
From Fringe Theater to Cultural Phenomenon For those unfamiliar with its origins, The Rocky Horror Show first emerged as a scrappy 1973 London stage production before evolving into the cult film The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which redefined midnight movie culture.
—Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2026
That pressure is unfamiliar territory for a program that once treated Selection Sunday as a formality rather than suspense.
—Harold Gutmann, Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unfamiliar
Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 5 Mar. 2026
Take a look around The backstory For the unfamiliar, Ritz-Carlton Reserves are the steady five-star brand’s deepest delve yet into uber-luxury.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Mar. 2026
From Fringe Theater to Cultural Phenomenon For those unfamiliar with its origins, The Rocky Horror Show first emerged as a scrappy 1973 London stage production before evolving into the cult film The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which redefined midnight movie culture.
—Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2026
That pressure is unfamiliar territory for a program that once treated Selection Sunday as a formality rather than suspense.
—Harold Gutmann, Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unfamiliar
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfamiliar
Adjective
-
It’s been a strange season in City Section soccer, with six schools removed from the playoffs for using ineligible players, most of whom played for club teams while also playing tor their high school team, in violation of CIF bylaw 600.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
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For now, Moltbook remains a strange but revealing glimpse into how AI agents might interact in the future.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The universe is giving us space to integrate new desires without losing compassion for others.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
6 Mar. 2026
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Steve Carell taught it, and Adam McKay developed an entire new way of doing it with his group, so to get in there and have that happen was just absolutely magical.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Of course, the cross-pollination between fashion and design isn’t entirely novel.—
Katherine McGrath,
Vogue,
7 Mar. 2026
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Of course, any savvy collector recognizes that Monet’s haystacks and Pollack’s action paintings were once novel outliers, too.—
Robert Ross,
Robb Report,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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That twist of fate came after last year’s unprecedented mid-decade rejiggering of California’s congressional districts.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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Progress has been painfully slow, stalled by gaps in technical knowledge, cost overruns and the extreme caution required to deal with an unprecedented accident of such magnitude.—
Yusuke Maekawa,
Bloomberg,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The backstory Under Canvas made a name for itself during the pandemic thanks to its ability to create upscale camping experiences that provided equal doses of fresh air and community during a time of social distancing.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
9 Mar. 2026
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Elder lawmakers in both parties have faced calls from younger members, either in service or age, to step aside and let fresh talent continue their work on Capitol Hill.—
Rachel Schilke,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
When there’s an intervening cloud of neutral matter in the way, for example, the original signal will be partially absorbed at a specific set of wavelengths by that matter.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
6 Mar. 2026
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The original 1935 film that inspired Gyllenhaal’s version also followed that vein.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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An unknown individual responded in Russian, the complaint said, but the document doesn’t say what that person told Casap.—
Todd Richmond,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
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Researchers have suggested that Little Foot could belong to the prometheus or africanus species under Australopithecus, or perhaps even be a previously unknown human relative.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unfamiliar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfamiliar. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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