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

Plus there is some familiarity with Binnington for Utah general manager Bill Armstrong, who spent nearly two decades with the Blues organization, including time in the front office. —Jeremy Rutherford, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025

Having served as Ambassador to Washington D.C., Beijing, Singapore, and the Czech republic, Jaishankar enjoys a huge comparative advantage over his global peers, because of his familiarity with the machine and machinations of modern diplomacy. —Vasuki Shastry, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025

This feel-good read has sparkling side characters, gritty family dynamics and truly sizzling romance (none of which require you to have any familiarity with the N.F.L.). —Tia Williams, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025

Tory isolated herself from everyone outside the strangely comforting familiarity of Cobra Kai. —Ben Rosenstock, TIME, 13 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for familiarity

• angularity
• bipolarity
• capillarity
• cellularity
• circularity
• granularity
• insincerity
• insularity
• modularity
• osmolarity
• popularity
• regularity

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