familiar

[ fuh-mil-yer ]

/ fəˈmɪl yər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR familiar ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

commonly or generally known or seen: a familiar sight.

well-acquainted; thoroughly conversant: to be familiar with a subject.

informal; easygoing; unceremonious; unconstrained: to write in a familiar style.

closely intimate or personal: a familiar friend; to be on familiar terms.

unduly intimate; too personal; taking liberties; presuming: The duchess disliked familiar servants.

domesticated; tame.

of or relating to a family or household.

noun

a familiar friend or associate.

Also called familiar spirit. Witchcraft and Demonology. a supernatural spirit or demon, often in the form of an animal, supposed to serve and aid a witch or other individual.

Roman Catholic Church.

an officer of the Inquisition, employed to arrest accused or suspected persons.
a person who belongs to the household of the pope or of a bishop, rendering domestic though not menial service.

Origin of familiar

1300–50; Middle English < Latin familiāris of a household (see family, -ar¹); replacing Middle English famulier < Middle French < Latin, as above

SYNONYMS FOR familiar

4 Familiar, confidential, intimate suggest a long association between persons. Familiar means well-acquainted with another person: a familiar friend. Confidential suggests a sense of mutual trust that extends to the sharing of confidences and secrets: a confidential adviser. Intimate suggests close acquaintance or connection, often based on interest, sympathy, or affection: intimate and affectionate letters.

5 forward, bold.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR familiar ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM familiar

fa·mil·iar·ly, adverb fa·mil·iar·ness, noun non·fa·mil·iar, adjective non·fa·mil·iar·ly, adverb

o·ver·fa·mil·iar, adjective o·ver·fa·mil·iar·ly, adverb pre·fa·mil·iar, adjective pre·fa·mil·iar·ly, adverb qua·si-fa·mil·iar, adjective qua·si-fa·mil·iar·ly, adverb ul·tra·fa·mil·iar, adjective

Words nearby familiar

familial paroxysmal polyserositis, familial periodic paralysis, familial polyendocrine adenomatosis, familial screening, familial spinal muscular atrophy, familiar, familiarity, familiarity breeds contempt, familiarize, familism, familist

Example sentences from the Web for familiarly

He so endeared himself to a young Pakistani American, Majid Khan, that Khan referred to him familiarly as Chacha—“Uncle” in Urdu.

9/11 Mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Finally on Trial at Guantanamo |Terry McDermott |May 4, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
Going back to Belgrade after 11 years, there was a newness to it, so the experience of it was familiarly exciting.

A Fierce Debut |Jennie Yabroff |March 9, 2011 |DAILY BEAST
"Good-morning, mistress," said he familiarly, approaching Madame Desvarennes.

Serge Panine, Complete |Georges Ohnet
At last came the inevitable pest, the familiarly suggestive outsider.

The Trail of the Hawk |Sinclair Lewis

Of these, perhaps the best known is the brown “woolly worm” or “hedgehog caterpillar,” as it is familiarly called.

A Book of Natural History |Various
I questioned him familiarly and kindly in relation to his speculative views.

The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 20, No. 121, November, 1867 |Various
"Uncle Dennis," as he was familiarly called, was himself a striking character, a man of original manners and racy conversation.

The Every-day Life of Abraham Lincoln |Francis Fisher Browne

British Dictionary definitions for familiarly

familiar

/ (fəˈmɪlɪə) /

adjective

well-known; easily recognized a familiar figure

frequent or customary a familiar excuse

(postpositive foll by with) acquainted

friendly; informal

close; intimate

more intimate than is acceptable; presumptuous

an archaic word for familial

noun

Also called: familiar spirit a supernatural spirit often assuming animal form, supposed to attend and aid a witch, wizard, etc

a person, attached to the household of the pope or a bishop, who renders service in return for support

an officer of the Inquisition who arrested accused persons

a friend or frequent companion

Derived forms of familiar

familiarly, adverb familiarness, noun

Word Origin for familiar

C14: from Latin familiāris domestic, from familia family

Idioms and Phrases with familiarly

familiar

see have a familiar ring.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

familiar

adjective

noun

Origin of familiar

SYNONYMS FOR familiar

OTHER WORDS FROM familiar

Words nearby familiar

Example sentences from the Web for familiarly

British Dictionary definitions for familiarly

adjective

noun

Derived forms of familiar

Word Origin for familiar

Idioms and Phrases with familiarly

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

familiar

adjective

noun

Origin of familiar

SYNONYMS FOR familiar

OTHER WORDS FROM familiar

Words nearby familiar

Words related to familiarly

Example sentences from the Web for familiarly

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for familiarly

adjective

noun

Derived forms of familiar

Word Origin for familiar

Idioms and Phrases with familiarly

British Dictionary definitions for familiarly