familiar

The word “familiar” means well known to you, or easy to recognise. In plain terms, something you recognise or know well, or (as a noun) a witch's magical animal companion.

“Familiar” is pronounced fuh-MIHL-ee-uh (/fəˈmɪl.jɚ/ in IPA).

Here is “familiar” used in a sentence: “That tune sounds familiar, but I can't place it.”

Words with a similar meaning to “familiar” include accustomed, habitual, known, predictable, routine and wonted.

The opposite of “familiar” — its antonyms — are ignorant, unfamiliar, unknown, unacquainted and cold.

Depending on how it is used, “familiar” can be an adjective and a noun.

The word “familiar” comes from Latin. From Latin familiaris, "of the household" — originally describing someone as close as family.

“Familiar” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.

Both come from ideas of being known, but they differ in scale and feeling. Familiar means well known to you personally — a face, a route, a song you recognise. Famous means known to very many people, widely celebrated. Something can be familiar to you alone yet not famous at all.

The main opposites are "unfamiliar," "strange," and "unknown" — describing something you do not recognise or have no experience of. "Foreign" and "novel" work too when the thing is new or unexpected. Each captures the sense of encountering something for the first time.

The two phrasings flip the direction. You are "familiar with" something when you know it — "I'm familiar with the rules." Something is "familiar to" you when it is recognisable — "the tune is familiar to me." One centres on your knowledge, the other on the thing being recognised.