What does "familiar" mean?
An attendant spirit, often in animal or demon form.
Familiar
/fəˈmɪl.jɚ/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An attendant spirit, often in animal or demon form.
- Grammar: familiar is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: abreast, accepted, accustomed, accustomed.
- Useful contrasts: cold, cool, distant.
- Usage evidence: All of you are familiar with the truth of the story.
How to use "familiar"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "familiar" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "familiar" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "familiar" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "familiar" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "familiar" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abreast" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "familiar", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An attendant spirit, often in animal or demon form.
"The witch’s familiar was a black cat."
- 2 a spirit (usually in animal form) that acts as an assistant to a witch or wizard wordnet
- 3 A member of one's family or household. obsolete
- 4 a friend who is frequently in the company of another wordnet
- 5 A member of a pope's or bishop's household.
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 a person attached to the household of a high official (as a pope or bishop) who renders service in return for support wordnet
- 7 A close friend. obsolete
"[A] friend of mine, that finding a Receipt in Braſsivola, would needs take Hellebor in ſubſtance, & try it on his own perſon; but had not ſome of his familiars come to viſite him by chance, he had by his indiſcretion hazarded himſelfe; many ſuch I have obſerued."
- 8 The officer of the Inquisition who arrested suspected people. historical
Adjective
- 1 Known to one, or generally known; commonplace.
"There’s a familiar face; that tune sounds familiar."
- 2 Acquainted.
"I'm quite familiar with this system; she's not familiar with manual gears."
- 3 Intimate or friendly.
"We are on familiar terms now; our neighbour is not familiar"
- 4 Of or pertaining to a family; familial.
"1822, Lord Byron, Werner familiar feuds"
Adjective
- 1 having mutual interests or affections; of established friendship wordnet
- 2 well known or easily recognized wordnet
- 3 within normal everyday experience; common and ordinary; not strange wordnet
- 4 (usually followed by ‘with’) well informed about or knowing thoroughly wordnet
Example
"All of you are familiar with the truth of the story."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "familiar"?
Common synonyms include: abreast, accepted, accustomed, accustomed, acquaintance, acquaintance.
How do you use "familiar" in a sentence?
All of you are familiar with the truth of the story.
How do you pronounce "familiar"?
Pronounced /fəˈmɪl.jɚ/.
Etymology
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.