Meaning & use
acquaintances
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“acquaintances” is a form of “acquaintance”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounplural
People you know a little, such as from work or the neighborhood, but who are not close friends.
Grammar: Plural of acquaintance; can be followed by of: acquaintances of hers.
Patterns
- acquaintances of someone
- friends and acquaintances
She invited family, friends and a few acquaintances to the party.
Most of my acquaintances at the gym only know my first name.
He asked his acquaintances in the trade whether they knew of any jobs.
Word forms
| singular | acquaintance |
|---|
Common combinations
- friends and acquaintances
- The news spread quickly among friends and acquaintances.
- casual acquaintances
- They were only casual acquaintances before the project.
- business acquaintances
- He sent holiday cards to his business acquaintances.
- mutual acquaintances
- We found out we had several mutual acquaintances.
- make new acquaintances
- Traveling alone is a good way to make new acquaintances.
Synonyms and how they differ
- contacts
- Contacts emphasizes people who might be useful for work, while acquaintances simply means people you know a little.
- associates
- Associates sounds more formal and suggests a working or business link.
- colleagues
- Colleagues applies only to people you work with, whereas acquaintances may come from anywhere.
- friends
- Friends implies closeness and trust, which acquaintances deliberately lacks.
Opposites
Word family
- acquaintance noun
- a person you know slightly; or knowledge of something
- acquaint verb
- to make someone familiar with something
- acquainted adjective
- familiar with, or knowing someone slightly
- acquaintanceship noun
- the state of knowing someone slightly
Commonly confused: acquaintances or aquantences? acquaintances or acquittances?
acquaintances vs aquantences
This is a common misspelling. The correct spelling is acquaintances, with cq in the middle.
acquaintances vs acquittances
Acquittances are legal records of a debt being paid, which is unrelated to people you know.
Practice
At the reunion, Priya spoke with old friends and a few ___ she had only met once.
Choose one answer.
Acquaintances are people you know only slightly, which fits people met once. Siblings, relatives and partners describe close or family ties.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “acquaintances”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.