unfamiliar

The word “unfamiliar” means not known or recognised; strange. In plain terms, strange or not known to you, or lacking experience with something.

“Unfamiliar” is pronounced uhn-fuh-MIH-lee-uh (/ˌʌnfəˈmɪli.ə(ɹ)/ in IPA).

Here is “unfamiliar” used in a sentence: “She found herself in an unfamiliar city with no map.”

“Unfamiliar” is an adjective.

The word “unfamiliar” comes from Old English. Formed from un- + familiar, going back through Old English un- to a Proto-Germanic negating prefix.

“Unfamiliar” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.

“Unfamiliar” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: not known or recognised; strange.

Unfamiliar suggests something has not been encountered before or is not recognized, while unknown suggests information or identity that has not been discovered or established at all. A face can be unfamiliar because you have not met the person, whereas an unknown quantity in maths has no established value yet.

Both are correct depending on meaning. Use 'unfamiliar with' when someone lacks knowledge or experience of something, as in 'unfamiliar with the software,' and use 'unfamiliar to' when something is not recognized by someone, as in 'the name was unfamiliar to me.'

Yes, unfamiliar can describe a person's lack of experience with a subject, an unfamiliar face, or an unfamiliar place someone has never visited. In every case it signals a lack of prior knowledge or recognition.