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unfamiliar

American  
[uhn-fuh-mil-yer] / ˌʌn fəˈmɪl yər /

adjective

  1. not familiar; not acquainted with or conversant about.

    to be unfamiliar with a subject.

  2. different; unaccustomed; unusual; strange.

    an unfamiliar treat.
    Synonyms:
    new, novel, curious
unfamiliar British  
/ ˌʌnfəˈmɪljə, ˌʌnfəˌmɪlɪˈærɪtɪ /

adjective

  1. not known or experienced; strange

  2. not familiar

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • unfamiliarity noun
  • unfamiliarly adverb

Etymology

Origin of unfamiliar

First recorded in 1585–95; un- 1 + familiar

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.