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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in ignorance
the state of being unaware or uninformed
some intense studying rapidly remedied my unfamiliarity with the subject in time for the exam
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of unfamiliar
Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
The French had long prohibited the use of poisons as unfamiliar plants or concoctions were often understood to be at the time, and traditional healing practices were likewise restricted or banned.
—Literary Hub, 5 Jan. 2026
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 26 Nov. 2025
Maheu says that, of course, some people have also had broader issues with their decision to coparent as a group — some of it borne from unfamiliarity.
—David Chiu, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unfamiliar
Adjective
He was left with an unfamiliar emptiness.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
The French had long prohibited the use of poisons as unfamiliar plants or concoctions were often understood to be at the time, and traditional healing practices were likewise restricted or banned.
—Literary Hub, 5 Jan. 2026
Noun
To anticipate improving upon an already-staggering performance metric by nearly 20% is to acknowledge an unfamiliarity with how math works.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 26 Nov. 2025
Maheu says that, of course, some people have also had broader issues with their decision to coparent as a group — some of it borne from unfamiliarity.
—David Chiu, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unfamiliar
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfamiliar
Adjective
-
The choice of Olivier Boscagli at left-back at Fulham, for example, a contributing factor in Chukwueze’s equaliser, was strange.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
-
In a dispatch from Minneapolis, chaun webster considers the strange familiarity of ICE and the limits of our language.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Here in the United States, the writer and filmmaker Mike Judge has garnered praise over the course of his career for getting laughs out of broken systems and absurd ignorance in American culture.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
-
In these special kinds of systems, even a minuscule amount of uncertainty in the measurement of the initial state of a system very quickly compounds into complete ignorance about its future behavior.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
29 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
See video … LISTEN Tune in for a breakdown of new polling showing voters uneasy with aggressive ICE tactics and that the White House is not focused enough on inflation and affordability.—
,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
By grafting old-school procedural pleasures onto a 24-esque real-time format, the show produced a genuinely novel structure in the post-prestige era that was impossible to look away from.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
6 Jan. 2026
-
May 5 Schumacher is really funny (her hilarious novel Dear Committee Member won the Thurber Prize)!—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Safavi described the scale of the demonstrations as unprecedented.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Here, sea level rise is accelerating at some of the most extreme rates on Earth, while hurricanes increasingly are swirling ashore with an unprecedented ferociousness.—
Amy Green,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Its locking lid snaps onto a silicone ring, giving it an airtight seal so my butter stays fresh (and doesn’t absorb outside odors).—
Sian Babish,
PEOPLE,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Or not feeling super fresh after a nap at 35,000 feet with your mouth hung open?—
Carin Ryan,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The Oh-My-God particle first interacted with an atomic nucleus in the upper atmosphere, producing a series of daughter particles that each maintain a fraction of the original particle’s momentum, which then collide with greater and greater numbers of particles, and so on.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The show, clearly meant to be an appealing first exposure for K-pop outsiders, selects Top 40 hits from across the decades and pairs the original artists up with Korean idols, who transform them in ways meant to resemble the K-pop formula.—
Sheldon Pearce,
NPR,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Seymour said the fundraiser’s original goal has already been consumed by travel costs alone and warned that future expenses — including therapy — remain unknown.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Do not drive around barricades or through water of unknown depth.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unfamiliar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfamiliar. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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