Meaning & use

acquaintance

noun·Academic

A person one knows slightly but who is not a close friend.

See it in a sentence

I ran into an old acquaintance from college at the airport yesterday.

She has many acquaintances through work but only a few close friends.

A note on using this word

Acquaintance implies a weaker bond than 'friend'; the phrase 'make someone's acquaintance' is a formal way of saying 'meet.'

Words with a similar meaning

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