familiarity
gb/fəmˌɪljˈɛɹəti/ us/fəmˌɪljˈɛɹəti/
B2
Inglés
~ 6900
Acepciones
0 acepciones
Sustantivo
B2
entity
1
knowledge of something from experience
Good knowledge of something because you have seen or used it many times.
Patrón de uso:
familiarity with [something]
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes confuse 'familiarity' with 'similarity'. 'Familiarity with X' means you know or understand X; 'similarity to X' means something is like X. Another mistake is to say 'familiarity in something' instead of the correct 'familiarity with something'.
Sinónimos
knowledge (More general and slightly broader; does not always imply personal experience the way 'familiarity' often does.)
|
expertise (Suggests very high skill or professional ability, while 'familiarity' can describe only basic to moderate understanding.)
Antónimos
unfamiliarity (Direct opposite, meaning not having experience or knowledge of something.)
|
ignorance (Stronger and more negative; suggests complete lack of knowledge, not just limited experience.)
Colocaciones
familiarity with the subject
|a high level of familiarity
|gain familiarity with
|basic familiarity with
|increasing familiarity with
|lack of familiarity
Temas
learning
|work
|technology
|daily life
|education
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- Her familiarity with the software made the training session much shorter.
- A basic familiarity with grammar will help you learn new languages faster.
- The job description requires familiarity with accounting principles and spreadsheets.
- Over time, his familiarity with local customs helped him make close friends.
- The course is designed to give students familiarity with key research methods.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- I have some familiarity with this program.
- He gained familiarity with the city after one month.
- You need familiarity with basic computer skills for this class.
- Her familiarity with the rules helps the team.
- The teacher checks our familiarity with new words.
Sustantivo
B2
entity
2
friendly and relaxed closeness
A friendly and easy feeling between people who know each other well.
Patrón de uso:
familiarity between [people]
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes use 'familiarity' only for knowledge and forget it can describe relationships. In this sense, it usually appears with people (e.g. 'familiarity between colleagues'), not with things or subjects.
Sinónimos
closeness (Focuses more on emotional connection; 'familiarity' emphasizes how well people know each other's habits and behavior.)
|
intimacy (Often suggests deeper emotional or physical closeness, while 'familiarity' can be more casual or social.)
Antónimos
distance (Suggests emotional or social separation instead of friendly closeness.)
|
formality (Emphasizes polite, official behavior instead of relaxed, familiar interaction.)
Colocaciones
a growing familiarity between
|easy familiarity
|social familiarity
|a sense of familiarity with someone
|too much familiarity
|comfortable familiarity
Temas
relationships
|emotions
|social
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- There was an easy familiarity between the old friends as they talked.
- Over the years, a warm familiarity developed between the neighbors.
- Some teachers worry that too much familiarity with students can reduce respect in the classroom.
- The familiarity between the actors made their scenes feel natural and believable.
- After working together for so long, a certain familiarity had grown among the team members.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- There is a friendly familiarity between them.
- With time, familiarity grew in the group.
- I like the familiarity I feel with my coworkers.
- Too much familiarity with your boss can be a problem.
- Familiarity in a team can make work easier.
Sustantivo
formal
C1
entity
3
overly informal or forward behavior
Acting too friendly or too close in a way that does not show enough respect.
Patrón de uso:
[someone]'s familiarity with [someone]
Error frecuente:
Learners often do not know this negative meaning and may think 'familiarity' is always positive. In this sense, it is almost always uncountable and used with negative words like 'undue', 'unwanted', or 'too much'.
Sinónimos
forwardness (Stresses being too bold or direct; 'familiarity' focuses more on being too casual or close.)
|
impertinence (Stronger and more critical; suggests clear disrespect, while 'familiarity' can be milder and more about social norms.)
Antónimos
reserve (Describes holding back and keeping a polite distance, the opposite of being overly familiar.)
|
respect (Emphasizes proper regard and distance, which excessive familiarity tends to ignore.)
Colocaciones
undue familiarity
|unwanted familiarity
|treat someone with familiarity
|an air of familiarity
|object to his familiarity
|presume on her familiarity
Temas
relationships
|politeness
|social
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- She disliked the waiter’s familiarity and found his personal comments unprofessional.
- He spoke to his manager with a familiarity that some colleagues felt was inappropriate.
- The director warned staff that any undue familiarity with clients would not be tolerated.
- His casual jokes and physical familiarity made several people uncomfortable.
- They complained about the guard’s familiarity when he addressed visitors by pet names.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- The boss did not like his familiarity.
- Her familiarity with customers was seen as rude.
- He talks with too much familiarity to older people.
- Some people think his familiarity shows no respect.
- Undue familiarity can be a problem at work.
Gramática
Forma de diccionario
familiarity
AFI
GB/fəmˌɪljˈɛɹəti/
US/fəmˌɪljˈɛɹəti/
Sílabas y acento
fa - mili - ar - ity (4 sílabas)
Stress on 3rd syllable (ar)
Formas de la palabra
Noun
- Base: familiarity
- Plural: familiarities, familiarity
Familia de palabras
Forms
familiarities
noun
Core family
familiar
adjective A2
familiarize
verb B2
Related words
familiarly
adverb
Negative and opposite forms
unfamiliar
adjective B1
unfamiliarity
noun
Advanced or less common
familial
adjective
Expresiones
a passing familiarity with
1/ə pˈæsɪŋ fəmˌɪljˈɛɹəti wˈɪθ/
fixed phrase
only slight knowledge of something
Used to say that someone knows a little about something, but not very much.
Ejemplos
- I only have a passing familiarity with Chinese history.
- The course assumes a passing familiarity with basic statistics.
- She has a passing familiarity with the software but will need training.
familiarity breeds contempt
1/fəmˌɪljˈɛɹəti bɹˈidz kəntˈɛmpt/
idiom
too much closeness lowers respect
If you know someone or something too well, you may start to respect or like them less.
Ejemplos
- He warned that familiarity breeds contempt, so managers should keep some professional distance.
- After living together for years, they began to feel that familiarity breeds contempt.
- The saying 'familiarity breeds contempt' suggests that people may stop valuing what they see every day.
familiarity with
1/fəmˌɪljˈɛɹəti wˈɪθ/
fixed phrase
having experience-based knowledge of something
Used to talk about how well someone knows or understands something from using it or seeing it many times.
Ejemplos
- The job requires familiarity with basic programming concepts.
- Her familiarity with local laws helped the company avoid problems.
- I have little familiarity with medical terms.