Meaning & use
familiarization
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Meanings
noununcountable
The process of learning about something so that you know it well.
Grammar: No plural; often followed by 'with': familiarization with the rules.
Patterns
- familiarization with something
- familiarization of someone with something
- a familiarization course/tour
New staff receive two days of familiarization with our safety procedures.
The course includes a familiarization tour of the factory floor.
Her gradual familiarization with local customs took several months.
nouncountablebusiness
An official visit or short trip arranged so people can learn about a place or organization.
Grammar: Countable in this business/travel sense: a familiarization trip, three familiarizations.
Patterns
- a familiarization trip
- a familiarization visit to something
The airline offered travel agents a free familiarization trip to the new hub.
Journalists were invited on a familiarization visit to the research station.
Word forms
| plural (rare) | familiarizations |
|---|
Common combinations
- familiarization with
- Familiarization with the software takes about an hour.
- familiarization course
- All new pilots must complete a familiarization course.
- familiarization trip
- The tourism board organized a familiarization trip for bloggers.
- familiarization period
- There is a short familiarization period before you start on your own.
Synonyms and how they differ
- orientation
- Orientation is usually a formal introduction for new members or students; familiarization focuses on getting to know something through experience.
- introduction
- Introduction is the first presentation of a subject; familiarization suggests a continuing process of becoming comfortable with it.
- acquaintance
- Acquaintance is the state of knowing something slightly; familiarization stresses the active process of learning.
Word family
- familiarize verb
- To make yourself or someone else learn about something.
- familiar adjective
- Well known to you, or knowing something well.
- familiarity noun
- The state of knowing something well.
Commonly confused: familiarization or familiarity?
familiarization vs familiarity
Familiarity is the state of knowing something; familiarization is the process of getting to know it.
Practice
New employees complete a week of ______ with company policies.
Choose one answer.
'Familiarization' fits because it names the process of learning. 'Familiarity' would describe the state of already knowing, and 'familiarize' is a verb that cannot follow 'of'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “familiarization”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.