familiar
adj. · n.-
1 well-known (adj.) B1 Intermediateeasy to recognize because you have seen, heard, or experienced it before.
well-known from previous experience or encounter; easily recognized.
ExampleThe smell of fresh bread was familiar and made him feel at home.
ExampleThe melody was hauntingly familiar, though she could not recall exactly where she had heard it during her childhood.
UsageCommonly used with the preposition 'with' for the person knowing, or 'to' for the thing being known.
PitfallI am familiar to this city.I am familiar with this city.Use 'familiar with' when you are the person who knows the thing. Use 'familiar to' when the thing is known by people (e.g., 'The song is familiar to me').
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2 friendly or informal (adj.) B2 Upper Intermediatebehaving in a very friendly or informal way, sometimes too much so.
characterized by intimacy or informality; occasionally carries a negative connotation of being overly bold or presumptuous.
ExampleHe spoke to his boss in a familiar way that surprised his coworkers.
ExampleThe waiter's overly familiar tone was intended to be charming, but it actually made the diners feel quite uncomfortable.
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3 supernatural spirit (n.) C2 Proficiency Literarya spirit, often taking the shape of an animal like a cat, that serves or helps a witch.
a supernatural spirit or demon supposed to attend on or serve a person, traditionally a witch.
ExampleIn the old stories, the witch's black cat was actually her familiar.
ExampleFolklore often depicts the familiar as a bridge between the mundane world and the occult, manifesting as a common household pet to avoid suspicion.
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.
- Verbfamiliarize
- Nounfamiliarity
- Adjectivefamiliar