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Acquaintance
English
Etymology
Old English aqueintance , Old French acointance , from acointier . See acquaint
Pronunciation
IPA: WEAE /ʌˈkwen.tɛns/
Noun
- A state of being acquainted, or of having intimate, or more than slight or superficial, knowledge; personal knowledge gained by intercourse short of that of friendship or intimacy: I know the man; but have no acquaintance with him.
- Contract no friendship, or even acquaintance, with a guileful man. - Sir W. Jones
- A person or persons with whom one is acquainted.
- Quotations
- Montgomery was an old acquaintance of Ferguson. - Thomas Macaulay
- Usage notes: In this sense the collective term acquaintance was formerly both singular and plural, but it is now commonly singular, and has the regular plural acquaintances; thus the obsolete
- To be of acquaintance, to be intimate
- To take acquaintance of or with
- To make the acquaintance of.
Usage notes
- Acquaintance, Familiarity , Intimacy .
- These words mark different degrees of closeness in social intercourse.
- Acquaintance arises from occasional intercourse; as, our acquaintance has been a brief one. We can speak of a slight or an intimate acquaintance.
- Our admiration of a famous man lessens upon our nearer acquaintance with him. - Joseph Addison
- Familiarity is the result of continued acquaintance. It springs from persons being frequently together, so as to wear off all restraint and reserve; as, the familiarity of old companions.
- We contract at last such a familiarity with them as makes it difficult and irksome for us to call off our minds. - Atterbury?
- Intimacy is the result of close connection, and the freest interchange of thought; as, the intimacy of established friendship.
- It is in our power to confine our friendships and intimacies to men of virtue. - Rogers?
Synonyms
Familiarity ; intimacy ; fellowship ; knowledge.
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