familiar

A2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /fəˈmɪl.jɚ/ UK /fəˈmɪl.i.ə/ See IPA manual

Freq #1971

Meanings

1

adj
Easy to recognize because you have seen, heard, or known it before.

That tune sounds familiar to me.
2

adj
Having good knowledge of something.

I'm quite familiar with this computer system.
3

adj
Friendly and informal, sometimes too much so.

He was on familiar terms with all the staff.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 adj · having good knowledge of... acquainted

3 adj · friendly and informal,... close friendly intimate

More accustomed habitual knownniggetpredictable routine wontedwontish

Opposites

cold cool distant ignorant impersonal standoffish strange unaccustomed unacquainted unfamiliar unfriendly unknown

Word family

Forms familiars

Derived forms confamiliarfamiliarisationfamiliarisefamiliarismfamiliarityfamiliarizationfamiliarize familiarlyfamiliarnesshyperfamiliarnonfamiliaroverfamiliar

Related forms accepted approved believeddaimonfamilial recognized

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

familiar face
a person one has seen or met before; a recognizable person

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Middle English familiar, familier, from Latin familiāris (“pertaining to servants; pertaining to the household”). By surface analysis, family + -ar. Piecewise doublet of familial. Displaced native Old English hīwcūþ.

*dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European familiar,familier Middle English familiāris Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Register & Style

External links

# familiar

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /fəˈmɪl.jɚ/
**IPA (UK):** /fəˈmɪl.i.ə/
**Frequency rank:** 1971

## Meanings
1. Easy to recognize because you have seen, heard, or known it before.
2. Having good knowledge of something.
3. Friendly and informal, sometimes too much so.

## Examples
- That tune sounds familiar to me.
- I'm quite familiar with this computer system.
- He was on familiar terms with all the staff.

## Synonyms
- accustomed
- habitual
- known
- nigget
- predictable
- routine
- wonted
- wontish

## Antonyms
- cold
- cool
- distant
- ignorant
- impersonal
- standoffish
- strange
- unaccustomed
- unacquainted
- unfamiliar
- unfriendly
- unknown

## Derived Forms
- confamiliar
- familiarisation
- familiarise
- familiarism
- familiarity
- familiarization
- familiarize
- familiarly
- familiarness
- hyperfamiliar
- nonfamiliar
- overfamiliar

## Related Forms
- accepted
- approved
- believed
- daimon
- familial
- recognized

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *dʰeh₁-
- Root: familiar,familier
- Root: familiāris

## Etymology
From Middle English familiar, familier, from Latin familiāris (“pertaining to servants; pertaining to the household”). By surface analysis, family + -ar. Piecewise doublet of familial. Displaced native Old English hīwcūþ.

## AI Etymology
Familiar comes from Middle English familiar, familier, from Latin familiāris (“pertaining to servants; pertaining to the household”). By surface analysis, family + -ar. Piecewise doublet of familial. Displaced native Old English hīwcūþ. In current use, the main senses are “Easy to recognize because you have seen, heard, or known it before” and “Having good knowledge of something”.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Register & Style

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