familiar


Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

familiar

generally known: a familiar plant; informal: to write in a familiar style; personal; intimate: a familiar friend
Not to be confused with:
familial – pertaining to a family: familial ties; heredity: a familial disease
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

fa·mil·iar

 (fə-mĭl′yər)
adj.
1. Often encountered or seen: a familiar landmark. See Synonyms at common.
2. Having fair knowledge; acquainted: Are you familiar with these roads?
3. Of established friendship; intimate: We are on familiar terms.
4. Natural and unstudied; informal: lectured in a familiar style.
5. Taking undue liberties; presumptuous: Students should not be familiar toward an instructor.
6. Familial.
7. Domesticated; tame. Used of animals.
n.
1. A close friend or associate.
2. An attendant spirit, often taking animal form.
3. One who performs domestic service in the household of a high official.
4. A person who frequents a place.

[Middle English, from Old French familier, from Latin familiāris, domestic, from familia, family; see family.]

fa·mil′iar·ly adv.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

familiar

(fəˈmɪlɪə)
adj
1. well-known; easily recognized: a familiar figure.
2. frequent or customary: a familiar excuse.
3. (foll by: with) acquainted
4. friendly; informal
5. close; intimate
6. more intimate than is acceptable; presumptuous
7. an archaic word for familial
n
8. (Classical Myth & Legend) Also called: familiar spirit a supernatural spirit often assuming animal form, supposed to attend and aid a witch, wizard, etc
9. (Roman Catholic Church) a person, attached to the household of the pope or a bishop, who renders service in return for support
10. (Roman Catholic Church) an officer of the Inquisition who arrested accused persons
11. a friend or frequent companion
[C14: from Latin familiāris domestic, from familia family]
faˈmiliarly adv
faˈmiliarness n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

fa•mil•iar

(fəˈmɪl yər)

adj.
1. commonly or generally known or seen: a familiar sight.
2. well-acquainted: to be familiar with a subject.
3. informal: to write in a familiar style.
4. closely personal: to be on familiar terms.
5. unduly intimate: The duchess complained of familiar servants.
6. domesticated; tame.
7. of or pertaining to a family or household.
n.
8. a familiar friend or associate.
9. a supernatural spirit or demon supposed to attend a person or another demon, often in the form of an animal.
10. a domestic employed by a bishop, seminary, etc.
[1300–50; Middle English famulier < Middle French < Latin familiāris of a household (see family, -ar1)]
fa•mil′iar•ly, adv.
fa•mil′iar•ness, n.
syn: familiar, confidential, intimate suggest a friendly relationship between persons, based on frequent association, common interests, etc. familiar suggests an easygoing and unconstrained relationship between persons who are well-acquainted: on familiar terms with one's neighbors. confidential implies a sense of mutual trust that extends to the sharing of confidences and secrets: a confidential adviser. intimate connotes a very close and warm relationship characterized by empathy and sharing of private thoughts: intimate letters to a friend.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

familiar

1. 'familiar'

If someone or something is familiar, you recognize them because you have seen, heard, or experienced them before.

There was something familiar about him.
Gradually I began to recognize familiar faces.
2. 'familiar to'

If something is familiar to you, you know it well.

His name is familiar to millions of people.
This problem will be familiar to many parents.
3. 'familiar with'

If you know or understand something well, you can say that you are familiar with it.

I am of course familiar with your work.
These are statements which I am sure you are familiar with.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

familiar

A low-ranking demon given to a witch by the Devil for the purpose of strengthening the witch’s power. In medieval times familiars were commonly thought to be animals such as cats, dogs, rabbits and toads. In shamanism, a familiar is a spirit who protects a shaman from illness and unfriendly forces and is also known as a totemic animal, guardian spirit, power animal, or tutelary spirit.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.familiar - a person attached to the household of a high official (as a pope or bishop) who renders service in return for supportfamiliar - a person attached to the household of a high official (as a pope or bishop) who renders service in return for support
servant, retainer - a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
2.familiar - a friend who is frequently in the company of anotherfamiliar - a friend who is frequently in the company of another; "drinking companions"; "comrades in arms"
date, escort - a participant in a date; "his date never stopped talking"
friend - a person you know well and regard with affection and trust; "he was my best friend at the university"
playfellow, playmate - a companion at play
tovarich, tovarisch - a comrade (especially in Russian communism)
3.familiar - a spirit (usually in animal form) that acts as an assistant to a witch or wizard
disembodied spirit, spirit - any incorporeal supernatural being that can become visible (or audible) to human beings
Adj.1.familiar - well known or easily recognized; "a familiar figure"; "familiar songs"; "familiar guests"
known - apprehended with certainty; "a known quantity"; "the limits of the known world"; "a musician known throughout the world"; "a known criminal"
unfamiliar - not known or well known; "a name unfamiliar to most"; "be alert at night especially in unfamiliar surroundings"
2.familiar - within normal everyday experience; common and ordinary; not strange; "familiar ordinary objects found in every home"; "a familiar everyday scene"; "a familiar excuse"; "a day like any other filled with familiar duties and experiences"
strange, unusual - being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird; "a strange exaltation that was indefinable"; "a strange fantastical mind"; "what a strange sense of humor she has"
3.familiar - (usually followed by `with') well informed about or knowing thoroughly; "conversant with business trends"; "familiar with the complex machinery"; "he was familiar with those roads"
informed - having much knowledge or education; "an informed public"; "informed opinion"; "the informed customer"
4.familiar - having mutual interests or affections; of established friendship; "on familiar terms"; "pretending she is on an intimate footing with those she slanders"
close - close in relevance or relationship; "a close family"; "we are all...in close sympathy with..."; "close kin"; "a close resemblance"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

familiar

adjective
2. friendly, close, dear, intimate, confidential, amicable, chummy (informal), buddy-buddy (slang, chiefly U.S. & Canad.), palsy-walsy (informal) the old familiar relationship
friendly cold, formal, distant, detached, aloof, unfriendly
4. disrespectful, forward, bold, presuming, intrusive, presumptuous, impudent, overfamiliar, overfree The driver of that taxi-cab seemed to me familiar to the point of impertinence.
familiar with acquainted with, aware of, introduced to, conscious of, at home with, no stranger to, informed about, abreast of, knowledgeable about, versed in, well up in, proficient in, conversant with, on speaking terms with, in the know about, au courant with, au fait with only too familiar with the problems
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

familiar

adjective
1. Occurring quite often:
2. Having good knowledge of:
Idiom: up on.
3. Very closely associated:
Informal: thick.
Slang: tight.
Idiom: hand in glove with.
4. Indicating intimacy and mutual trust:
noun
A person whom one knows well, likes, and trusts:
Informal: bud, buddy.
Slang: sidekick.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
مَألوفمَأْلُوفمُطَّلِعٌ على، ذو مَعْرِفَةٍ بوَدود، يَتَخَطّى حُدود اللياقَه
známýdůvěrnýintimníobeznámený
bekendtfamiliærfortroligintimvelkendt
tuttuläheinentuttavallinen
poznat
jártas
ágengur, nærgöngullkunnuglegurvel aî sér í
よく知られている
잘 알려져 있는
familiariaifamiliarumasfamiliarusnusimanymassupažindinimas
familiārslabi zināmspazīstamstuvs
dôverne známyoboznámený
seznanjenznan
förtrolig
คุ้นเคย
quen thuộc

familiar

[fəˈmɪlɪəʳ] ADJ
1. (= well-known) [face, person, place] → conocido, familiar
his voice sounds familiarme suena (familiar) su voz
it doesn't sound familiarno me suena
to be on familiar ground (fig) → estar en su elemento, dominar la materia
2. (= common) [experience, complaint, event] → corriente, común
it's a familiar feelinges un sentimiento común
3. (= well-acquainted) to be familiar withestar familiarizado con, conocer
to make o.s. familiar withfamiliarizarse con
4. (= intimate) [tone of voice etc] → íntimo, de confianza; [language etc] → familiar (pej) (= over-intimate) → fresco, que se toma demasiadas confianzas
to be on familiar terms with sbtener confianza con algn
he got too familiarse tomó demasiadas confianzas
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

familiar

[fəˈmɪljər] adj
(= well-known) [person, voice, place, surroundings] → familier/ière
a familiar face → un visage familier
a familiar figure → un personnage bien connu
She's a familiar figure at the races
BUT C'est une habituée des courses.
to be a familiar sight → être bien connu(e)
to be familiar to sb → être connu(e) de qn
(= acquainted) to be familiar with sth → bien connaître qch
I'm familiar with his work → Je connais bien ses œuvres.
to make o.s. familiar with sth → se familiariser avec qch
to be on familiar terms with sb → avoir des relations cordiales avec qn
(= informal) [language, tone] → familier/ière
to be too familiar with sb → se montrer trop familier envers qn
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

familiar

adj
(= usual, well-known) surroundings, sight, scenegewohnt, vertraut; figure, voicevertraut; street, person, feelingbekannt; phrase, title, songgeläufig, bekannt; complaint, event, protesthäufig; (= customary) form, course, patternüblich; his face is familiardas Gesicht ist mir bekannt; surrounded by familiar facesvon vertrauten Gesichtern umgeben; the problems are all too familiardie Probleme sind nur allzu vertraut; to be/seem familiar to somebodyjdm bekannt sein/vorkommen; it looks very familiares kommt mir sehr bekannt vor; to sound familiarsich bekannt anhören (to sb jdm); that sounds familiardas habe ich doch schon mal gehört; to be on familiar groundBescheid wissen; to follow a familiar pattern (visit) → $fan outwie gewohnt verlaufen; (negotiations) → den gewohnten Verlauf nehmen; (interview) → wie üblich ablaufen
(= conversant) I am familiar with the word/the towndas Wort/die Stadt ist mir bekannt or (more closely) → vertraut; I’m not familiar with computer languageich bin mit der Computersprache nicht vertraut; are you familiar with these modern techniques?wissen Sie über diese modernen Techniken Bescheid?; is he familiar with our customs?ist er mit unseren Bräuchen vertraut?; to make somebody familiar with somethingjdn mit etw vertraut machen
(= friendly) tonefamiliär; greetingfreundschaftlich; gesturefamiliär, vertraulich; (= overfriendly)familiär, plumpvertraulich; the familiar form of addressdie Anrede für Familie und Freunde, die vertraute Anrede; to be on familiar terms with somebodymit jdm auf vertrautem Fuß stehen; we’re all on pretty familiar termswir haben ein ziemlich ungezwungenes Verhältnis zueinander; familiar languageUmgangssprache f; familiar expressionsumgangssprachliche Ausdrücke pl; they’re not the kind of people one wishes to become too familiar withmit solchen Leuten möchte man sich nicht unbedingt näher einlassen
n
(liter, = friend) → Vertraute(r) mf (liter)
(of witch etc)Hausgeist m
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

familiar

[fəˈmɪljəʳ] adj
a. (well-known, face, person, place) → conosciuto/a, familiare; (common, experience, complaint, event) → comune
her face looks familiar → la sua faccia non mi è nuova
to be on familiar ground (fig) → trovarsi sul proprio terreno
b. (well-acquainted) to be familiar (with sb/sth)conoscere bene (qn/qc)
to make o.s. familiar with → familiarizzarsi con, acquistare dimestichezza con
c. (language) → familiare; (intimate, tone of voice) → di eccessiva confidenza
to be on familiar terms with → essere in confidenza con
to get too familiar with sb (pej) → prendersi troppa confidenza con qn
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

familiar

(fəˈmiljə) adjective
1. well-known. The house was familiar to him; She looks very familiar (to me).
2. (with with) knowing about. Are you familiar with the plays of Shakespeare?
3. too friendly. You are much too familiar with my wife!
faˈmiliarly adverb
faˌmiliˈarity (-liˈӕ-) plural faˌmiliˈarities noun
1. the state of being familiar. I was surprised by her familiarity with our way of life.
2. an act of (too) friendly behaviour. You must not allow such familiarities.
faˈmiliarize, faˈmiliarise verb
(with with) to make something well known to (someone). You must familiarize yourself with the rules.
faˌmiliariˈzation, faˌmiliariˈsation noun
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

familiar

مَأْلُوف známý bekendt bekannt οικείος familiar tuttu familier poznat familiare よく知られている 잘 알려져 있는 bekend fortrolig znajomy familiar знакомый förtrolig คุ้นเคย bildik quen thuộc 熟悉的
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in classic literature ?
Some images, like some sensations, feel very familiar, while others feel strange.
In this way I came into living contact with literature again, and the daydreams began once more over the familiar cases of type.
"No, friend," said a pleasant and, as it seemed to Prince Andrew, a familiar voice, "what I say is that if it were possible to know what is beyond death, none of us would be afraid of it.
The villa and the lady are such familiar objects in London life, that I ought to apologise for introducing them to notice.
I gazed around at the old familiar objects, at the old familiar grey and gloomy objects.
By the last rays of the setting sun I looked at the familiar row of windows in front, and saw that the shutters were all closed.
On arriving at twelve o'clock from the station at his flat, Vronsky saw, at the outer door, a hired carriage familiar to him.
When the ponds were firmly frozen, they afforded not only new and shorter routes to many points, but new views from their surfaces of the familiar landscape around them.
On seeing him the third time, he so increased in boldness that he went up to him and commenced a familiar conversation with him.
"Yes," replied the Public Treasury, "I am familiar with the hauls of legislation."
ROMANCE, who loves to nod and sing, With drowsy head and folded wing, Among the green leaves as they shake Far down within some shadowy lake, To me a painted paroquet Hath been - a most familiar bird - Taught me my alphabet to say - To lisp my very earliest word While in the wild wood I did lie, A child - with a most knowing eye.
But this sort of sickness used to pass off with the first sight of a familiar landmark.

Full browser ?