Meanings
verbdefamiliarize (third-person singular simple present defamiliarizes, present participle defamiliarizing, simple past and past participle defamiliarized)
present singular third person defamiliarizes · participle present defamiliarizing · participle past defamiliarized · past defamiliarized
- transitiveTo make unfamiliar; to divest of familiarity.
From its speculated future position, the film [Carnage] thus defamiliarizes and invites us to recognize the absurdities of meat and dairy consumption.
2018, Nicole Seymour, Bad Environmentalism, page 227
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*de
- Proto-Indo-European*déh₁
- Proto-Italic*dē
- Latindē
- Latindē-
- Englishde-
- Englishfamiliar
- Englishfamiliarize
- Englishdefamiliarize
From de- + familiarize.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
defamiliarize. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/defamiliarize
MLA
“defamiliarize.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/defamiliarize. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “defamiliarize,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/defamiliarize.
Source: defamiliarize on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.