familiar

familiar — adjective

1. Something that is familiar has been seen, heard, or experienced before, so it is

1.形容詞A2
釋義

Something that is familiar has been seen, heard, or experienced before, so it is easy to identify and does not feel new or strange.

例句

That tune sounds familiar — Eli thinks his grandmother used to hum it.

The smell of rain on dry earth was familiar and comforting to Tunde.

同義詞
  • well-known

    more neutral and factual; less personal than familiar

  • recognizable

    focuses on the ability to identify rather than the feeling of prior exposure

  • common

    emphasizes frequency of occurrence rather than personal recognition

反義詞
  • unfamiliar

    the direct opposite — not known or recognized

  • strange

    suggests something feels foreign or odd, not just unknown

文法句型

be familiar (to someone)

a familiar + noun

用法筆記

When something is familiar TO you, it is recognizable from past experience ('That voice is familiar to me'). Do not confuse with 'familiar with' (sense 2), where the person is the active knower.

常見錯誤

❌I am familiar to this song.
✅This song is familiar to me.' or 'I am familiar with this song.
💡'familiar to' = something is recognizable to someone; 'familiar with' = someone knows something well.

2. When you are familiar with something, you know it thoroughly because you have st

2.形容詞B1
釋義

When you are familiar with something, you know it thoroughly because you have studied it, practised it, or spent time experiencing it.

例句

Yumi made sure she was familiar with the customs before her trip to Jakarta.

Lakshmi is familiar with five different programming languages, so she can work on any project.

pattern: familiar with [topic / field]

同義詞
反義詞
  • unfamiliar with

    the direct opposite — not having knowledge or experience of something

  • new to

    suggests inexperience with something recently encountered

文法句型

be familiar with [topic / place / person]

become familiar with [something]

get familiar with [something]

用法筆記

The subject of 'be familiar with' is the person who has the knowledge ('I am familiar with her work'). This reverses the pattern of sense 1 ('Her work is familiar to me'). Learners often confuse the two prepositions.

常見錯誤

❌She is familiar to classical music.
✅She is familiar with classical music.
💡'familiar to' means something is known by someone; 'familiar with' means someone knows something.

3. If someone's behaviour is familiar, they act in an overly friendly or informal w

3.形容詞B2
釋義

If someone's behaviour is familiar, they act in an overly friendly or informal way that is not suitable for the situation, often making others feel uncomfortable or disrespected.

例句

The new intern was too familiar with the CEO, calling him by his first name.

warning: 'too familiar with [someone]' = overstepping boundaries

James felt uncomfortable when the taxi driver became too familiar and asked about his salary.

同義詞
  • presumptuous

    stronger negative judgment; behaving with too much confidence or entitlement

  • forward

    suggests boldness that is socially inappropriate

  • overfamiliar

    a direct synonym that makes the excess explicit

反義詞
  • formal

    following proper social rules and distance

  • reserved

    keeping appropriate emotional or social distance

  • distant

    maintaining more than usual social distance

文法句型

be too familiar with [someone]

familiar manner / tone / behavior

用法筆記

This sense usually carries a negative or disapproving tone. It applies when someone treats a stranger, an authority figure, or a professional contact as if they were a close friend. The phrase 'too familiar' is more common than 'familiar' alone in this sense.

常見錯誤

❌He was familiar with the cashier by touching her shoulder.
✅He was too familiar with the cashier by touching her shoulder.
💡Without 'too,' the sentence suggests a positive close relationship; 'too' signals the negative overstepping.

familiar — noun