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Familiarity vs Familiar - What's the difference?

familiarity | familiar |

Familiar is a derived term of familiarity.

Familiar is a related term of familiarity.



As nouns the difference between familiarity and familiar

is that familiarity is the state of being extremely friendly; intimacy while familiar is a member of one's family or household.

As an adjective familiar is

known to one.

familiarity

English

Noun

(familiarities)
  • The state of being extremely friendly; intimacy.
  • *, II.8:
    • It is also folly and injustice to deprive childrenof their fathers familiaritie , and ever to shew them a surly, austere, grim, and disdainefull countenance, hoping thereby to keepe them in awfull feare and duteous obedience.
  • Undue intimacy; inappropriate informality, impertinence.
  • * 1927 , G K Chesterton, The Return of Don Quixote , p.5:
    • Murrel did not in the least object to being called a monkey, yet he always felt a slight distaste when Julian Archer called him one.It had to do with a fine shade between familiarity and intimacy which men like Murrel are never ready to disregard, however ready they may be to black their faces.
  • An instance of familiar behaviour.
  • Close or habitual acquaintance with someone or something; understanding or recognition acquired from experience.

    • Derived terms

    * familiarity breeds contempt

    familiar

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Known to one.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-20, volume=408, issue=8845, magazine=(The Economist)
    • , title= Welcome to the plastisphere , passage=Plastics are energy-rich substances, which is why many of them burn so readily. Any organism that could unlock and use that energy would do well in the Anthropocene. Terrestrial bacteria and fungi which can manage this trick are already familiar to experts in the field.}}
  • Acquainted.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)
    • , chapter=20 citation , passage=The story struck the depressingly familiar note with which true stories ring in the tried ears of experienced policemen. No one queried it. It was in the classic pattern of human weakness, mean and embarrassing and sad.}}
  • Intimate or friendly.
  • * Shakespeare
    • Be thou familiar , but by no means vulgar.
  • Inappropriately intimate or friendly.
    • (Camden)
  • Of or pertaining to a family; familial.
  • * Byron
    • familiar feuds

    Synonyms

    * (acquainted) acquainted * close, friendly, intimate, personal * (inappropriately intimate or friendly) cheeky, fresh, impudent

    Antonyms

    * (known to one) unfamiliar, unknown * (acquainted) unacquainted * (intimate) cold, cool, distant, impersonal, standoffish, unfriendly

    Derived terms

    * overfamiliar * familiarity * familiarly

    Related terms

    * (l)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete) A member of one's family or household.
  • (obsolete) A close friend.
  • *, II.i.4.2:
    • a friend of mine, that finding a receipt in Brassavola, would needs take hellebore in substance, and try it on his own person; but had not some of his familiars come to visit him by chance, he had by his indiscretion hazarded himself; many such I have observed.
  • An attendant spirit, often in animal form.
    • The witch’s familiar was a black cat.

    External links

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