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
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 unfamiliar
Colin Cerniglia, Charlotte Observer, 4 June 2025
The entire production was a scrappy affair, which wasn't unfamiliar territory for the cast.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 3 June 2025
Officials from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office are asking parents to review their children’s social media accounts for suspicious activity or unfamiliar contacts.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2025
Of course, some kids are hesitant to approach the unfamiliar creatures, but Clark knows just how to gently reassure them that his animals are safe and friendly.
—J.m. Banks, Kansas City Star, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for unfamiliar
Adjective
Owen Beck extended the lead to 2-0 early in the second, putting Charlotte in unfamiliar territory.
—Colin Cerniglia, Charlotte Observer, 4 June 2025
The entire production was a scrappy affair, which wasn't unfamiliar territory for the cast.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 3 June 2025
Officials from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office are asking parents to review their children’s social media accounts for suspicious activity or unfamiliar contacts.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2025
Of course, some kids are hesitant to approach the unfamiliar creatures, but Clark knows just how to gently reassure them that his animals are safe and friendly.
—J.m. Banks, Kansas City Star, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for unfamiliar
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfamiliar
Adjective
-
After coming to the Mets at the trade deadline, Blackburn had a serious of strange injuries, getting hit by a line drive on his hand, and then suffering from a spinal fluid leak that required surgery.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
3 June 2025
-
The dense central region — a strange melding of concentric bubbles and chaotic dusty structures imaged by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope — can also be spotted shining brightly at the heart of the image.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
2 June 2025
Noun
-
Previously feigning ignorance about a potential departure, the German is now surplus to requirements under Hansi Flick with Garcia around.—
Tom Sanderson,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
-
Not 20/20 hindsight, mind you, but hindsight clouded by ideology, partisan politics and persistent ignorance.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2025
Adjective
-
First discovered: 4 p.m. June 5 Initial location: Nevada County, Calif. Fire type: Wildfire Fire name: Brockway A new wildfire was reported today at 4 p.m. in Nevada County.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
6 June 2025
-
The hitmaker returned to the ceremony in 2025, debuting a new look on the red carpet.—
Michael Nied,
People.com,
6 June 2025
Adjective
-
As a result, there’s a large and growing demand for novel solutions.—
Dr. Jonathan Reichental,
Forbes.com,
8 June 2025
-
Finally, with homicides soaring to record levels, exasperated authorities pivoted to a novel strategy: Mexico filed a $10-billion suit in U.S. federal court seeking to have Smith & Wesson and other signature manufacturers held accountable for the country’s epidemic of shooting deaths.—
Patrick J. McDonnell,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2025
Adjective
-
Quickly backed up by local and regional California politicians amid the situation in LA, Gov. Gavin Newsom confirmed and condemned Trump’s near unprecedented troop action.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
8 June 2025
-
In May 2025, Global Rights Compliance and The Reckoning Project, both non-governmental organizations, published a new report revealing unprecedented evidence exposing Russia’s systematic weaponization of information during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.—
Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab,
Forbes.com,
8 June 2025
Adjective
-
Oldman also credited screenwriter James Hart for penning a script that pulled him in with its fresh take on the old classic.—
Daysia Tolentino,
EW.com,
13 June 2025
-
Finding my bald community instilled in me a fresh perspective on life and helped reconstruct my sense of self.—
Shamsha Damani,
Health,
13 June 2025
Adjective
-
Watch Prey on Hulu Predator The original Predator movie is set in the present day (which would be 1987) and follows a paramilitary rescue team who quickly discovers that rebel forces in the South American jungle aren’t their most dangerous enemy.—
Keith Langston,
People.com,
6 June 2025
-
The size of the changes varies a lot from game to game, and the console still lists them as original Switch games.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
6 June 2025
Adjective
-
At this time, the containment status is unknown and the cause of the fire remains undetermined.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
6 June 2025
-
Exposing environment variables to unknown inference endpoints off the security team’s radar.—
Anshu Bansal,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unfamiliar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfamiliar. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share