familiarity

noun

fa·​mil·​iar·​i·​ty fə-ˌmi-lē-ˈ(y)er-ə-tē 

-ˈ(y)a-rə-;

-ˌmil-ˈyer-,

-ˌmil-ˈya-rə-

plural familiarities

1

a

: the quality or state of being familiar

b

: a state of close relationship : intimacy

2

a

: absence of ceremony : informality

b

: an unduly informal act or expression : impropriety

c

: a sexual liberty

3

: close acquaintance with something

Synonyms

• belonging
• chumminess
• closeness
• inseparability
• intimacy
• nearness

Examples of familiarity in a Sentence

He spoke to everyone with the easy familiarity of an old friend.

the elderly couple enjoys a familiarity that is the result of many years of happy marriage

Recent Examples on the Web

The familiarity with each other's personnel, processes and priorities between the Democratic administration and Taiwan has the psychological benefit of familiarity. —David Brennan, ABC News, 3 Nov. 2024

If there’s an element of familiarity in Tangier, the next stop, Meknes, is a step in the other direction. —Elle Benson Easton, Travel + Leisure, 2 Nov. 2024

Was the incident at Target Center merely a product of two teams starting to dislike each other out of sheer familiarity? —Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 2 Nov. 2024

There’s a lot of fan expectation, there’s a lot of familiarity. —Adam B. Vary, Variety, 1 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

familiarity

noun

fa·​mil·​iar·​i·​ty fə-ˌmil-ˈyar-ət-ē 

-ˌmil-ē-ˈar-

plural familiarities

1

: close friendship : intimacy

2

: lack of formality : freedom and ease in personal relations

3

: close acquaintance with or knowledge of something

4

: an overly bold act or expression