unfamiliar

adjective

un·​fa·​mil·​iar ˌən-fə-ˈmil-yər 

: not familiar:

a

: not well-known : strange

an unfamiliar place

b

: not well acquainted

unfamiliar with the subject

unfamiliarity

ˌən-fə-ˌmil-ˈyer-ə-tē 

-ˌmi-lē-ˈyer-

-ˈya-rə-

noun

unfamiliarly

ˌən-fə-ˈmil-yər-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• fresh
• new
• novel
• original
• strange
• unaccustomed
• unheard-of
• unknown
• unprecedented

Examples of unfamiliar in a Sentence

He gets nervous when he is in unfamiliar surroundings.

The book is full of unfamiliar words.

Recent Examples on the Web

Most small businesses are not operating an entire influencer marketing department and may be unfamiliar with how pricing works or operating with very small budgets. —Kristen Bousquet, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025

Lewis-Potter has been in excellent form for Brentford in the unfamiliar position of left-back and he was capped four times by England’s Under-21s. —Jay Harris, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025

Cronenberg himself is not unfamiliar with scandal either. —Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 23 Mar. 2025

The two holy women scoured social media for answers and came across a term both were unfamiliar with — perimenopause. —Kayla McCormick, NBC news, 23 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing unfamiliar

• unfamiliar with (something)

Rhymes for unfamiliar

• conciliar
• familiar

Kids Definition

unfamiliar

adjective

un·​fa·​mil·​iar ˌən-fə-ˈmil-yər 

1

: not well-known : strange

an unfamiliar place

2

: not well acquainted

unfamiliar with the subject

unfamiliarity

-ˌmil-ˈyar-ət-ē 

-ˌmil-ē-ˈ(y)ar-

noun