unfamiliar

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "unfamiliar" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to describe something that is not known or recognized by someone. Example: "The landscape was unfamiliar to her, as she had never visited this part of the country before."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Perhaps it is more a loss of control that Australia's fast bowler's have induced, bringing with it the unfamiliar spectacle of highly skilled professional sportsmen finding suddenly that they are unable to perform reflex actions with any degree of certainty.

The Guardian - Sport

The sound of the Leicestershire victory song, Fields of Grace Road, ringing out across Chelmsford after the end of a 37-match winless streak, and their first away victory since 2010, was certainly unfamiliar, though.

The Guardian - Sport

Simon Godwin, in an outstanding RSC directorial debut, took an unfamiliar Shakespeare comedy and treated it as a hypnotic study of the identity-transforming power of love.

The Guardian

At the opposite extreme of England, another mysterious phenomenon is about to appear around the West Country coast: a floating island, a mini-geography that is desolate and unfamiliar, composed of rock and moraine from the Arctic.

The Guardian - Arts

As the final step in bringing evidence-based medicine to the patient, Sackett and colleagues had to persuade a sceptical medical profession, often eager to attack what was unfamiliar, to undertake the intellectual work implicit in the practice of this approach.

The Guardian

But to most web users, unfamiliar with encryption algorithms and open-source code, these precautions will seem extreme.

The Guardian

The following day – as visions of financial security danced through our heads – I'd just bitten into a slice of Bleecker Street Pizza when an unfamiliar 212 number rang through my phone.

The Guardian - Sport

My mum had made me plenty of pork luncheon meat sandwiches (Mother's Pride bread of course) and I may have had a flask of tea – but I had no hat, no re-hydrating bottle of water and no sunblock as I walked to Seaforth Sands to get the unfamiliar green corpy (that is, corporation) 61 bus from the start of its route to its terminus at Aigburth.

The Guardian - Sport

And, though the Guardian's reviewer rightly argued that this book is the least "Martian" of Reid's poetry, A Scattering is shot through with unlikely metaphor and unfamiliar takes on the quotidian.

The Guardian - Books

Pineda wasn't alone in being an unfamiliar face on the field for any of the casual MLS fans who showed up to swell the crowd on Saturday, but after last week's collapse by the stars, they got to taste "the leftovers" taking Seattle back to the top of the standings.

The Guardian - Sport

We have had some memorable runs; with friends who run for our club, with friends with dogs, through local forest parks, along familiar and unfamiliar coastal paths.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing a feeling or sensation, pair "unfamiliar" with sensory details to enhance the reader's experience. For example: "The air carried an unfamiliar scent of spices and damp earth."

Common error

Avoid using "unfamiliar" to describe people in a negative way; instead, use "unknown" or "unrecognized" to maintain a neutral tone.

Linguistic Context

The adjective "unfamiliar" primarily functions to describe something as not known or experienced before. Ludwig AI confirms this through numerous examples where it modifies nouns to indicate a lack of acquaintance or recognition.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

34%

Formal & Business

33%

Science

33%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the adjective "unfamiliar" describes something not previously known or experienced, and is considered grammatically correct by Ludwig AI. It is very common across diverse contexts like News & Media, Formal & Business and Science, and is often used to convey a sense of novelty or lack of knowledge. For clarity, consider alternatives like "unknown" or "strange" depending on the specific nuance you wish to convey. When writing, avoid using "unfamiliar" to describe people and use it instead to describe feelings or sensations.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

unknown

Focuses on the lack of awareness or knowledge about something.

strange

Highlights the odd or peculiar nature of something.

novel

Emphasizes the new or original aspect of something.

unrecognized

Stresses the lack of acknowledgment or identification.

foreign

Indicates something originating from a different place or culture.

uncharted

Implies that something is unexplored or undocumented.

obscure

Suggests that something is not easily discovered or understood.

alien

Highlights the feeling of being different or incompatible.

exotic

Implies something intriguing or unusual because of its distant origin.

uncommon

Focuses on the infrequency or rarity of something.

FAQs

How can I use the word "unfamiliar" in a sentence?

The word "unfamiliar" is typically used as an adjective. For example, "The taste was "unfamiliar" to me" or "He was working in an "unfamiliar" environment".

What words are similar to "unfamiliar"?

Words with similar meanings include "unknown", "strange", "foreign", and "uncommon". The best choice depends on the specific context.

Is it correct to say "unfamiliar with"?

Yes, it's correct to use "unfamiliar with" to indicate a lack of knowledge or experience. For example, "I'm "unfamiliar with" that software" or "She's "unfamiliar with" the local customs".

How does "unfamiliar" differ from "unrecognized"?

"Unfamiliar" indicates a lack of prior knowledge or experience, while "unrecognized" suggests something was once known but is now not identified or acknowledged. For example, a face can be "unfamiliar" if you've never seen it, or "unrecognized" if you've met before but don't recall.