as in strange
not known or experienced before
ordered an unfamiliar wine and was surprised to find that it was much drier than what they were used to
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unfamiliar
Through the band members’ stories, Méndez guides readers expertly through a historical landscape that may be unfamiliar to them and examines thought-provoking ideas about art and protest.
—
Literary Hub, 1 May 2026
Even small, unfamiliar charges or login alerts can be an early warning sign.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2026
How many voters have diligently studied candidates and ballot initiatives prior to election day, only to be stumped by a sometimes excruciatingly long list of unfamiliar names of people trying to get or retain jobs as judges?
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 30 Apr. 2026
Todaro hopes those who have never been to the opera come away enthused, comparing it to when someone first tastes an unfamiliar dish.
—Jocheved Cohen, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unfamiliar
Literary Hub, 1 May 2026
Even small, unfamiliar charges or login alerts can be an early warning sign.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2026
How many voters have diligently studied candidates and ballot initiatives prior to election day, only to be stumped by a sometimes excruciatingly long list of unfamiliar names of people trying to get or retain jobs as judges?
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 30 Apr. 2026
Todaro hopes those who have never been to the opera come away enthused, comparing it to when someone first tastes an unfamiliar dish.
—Jocheved Cohen, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unfamiliar
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfamiliar
Adjective
-
The truck had been at the head of a column of seven rescue vehicles, all of which had received clearance from the tower to cross Runway 4 at Taxiway D and head toward a United Airlines flight that was evacuating due to a strange odor onboard.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2026
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On World Rhythms, Lockwood trusts the listener to hear the arc of its noises, to trace their emergence and disappearance, their strange, seductive confluence.—
Joshua Minsoo Kim,
Pitchfork,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In any case, this new film can be watched without having seen any of the previous chapters, though that’s mostly because the plot is cookie-cutter generic.—
Beatrice Loayza,
Variety,
1 May 2026
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Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
Given the novel situation, airline and airport staff needed to work within flight safety protocol on the fly to decide what actions to take.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
3 May 2026
-
The veteran Midwest emo group’s fourth record traipses into somewhat novel post-rock, shoegaze, and math-y territory.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
What is more likely is that, fifty years hence, Americans will observe that this anniversary took place during a polarizing time, but that such circumstances were not unprecedented.—
Jelani Cobb,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
As this was an unprecedented case in which league officials participated in the deception, the remedy is woefully inadequate.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
3 May 2026
Adjective
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The striking blooms make excellent cut flowers, both fresh and dried, and attract butterflies and bees to the garden.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
3 May 2026
-
Spring desserts should be easy, sweet, and loaded with the season's best produce, like fresh berries.—
Sarah Martens,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 May 2026
Adjective
-
Several times in the last couple of decades, Microsoft has released source code for the original MS-DOS operating system that kicked off its decades-long dominance of consumer PCs.—
Andrew Cunningham,
ArsTechnica,
30 Apr. 2026
-
At Fairmont Bagel, dig into its original poppy-seed bagel.—
Megan Wallitsch,
Travel + Leisure,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The Trinity fire, which started May 1 in Phelan, burned 19 acres with no structures damaged, though the blaze destroyed an unknown number of Joshua trees.—
Blanca Begert,
Los Angeles Times,
3 May 2026
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The two became engaged in an argument that turned into a fight, during which the unknown person pulled out a sharp object and stabbed the victim about the body before leaving the scene, police said.—
Jeramie Bizzle,
CBS News,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unfamiliar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfamiliar. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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