Unfamilialize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To make something appear strange or unfamiliar by altering its normal context or presentation; to detach from usual associations in order to provoke new perceptions; to challenge conventional understanding by presenting a subject in a novel or unexpected way
2. The act of rendering an object or idea seemingly strange by removing it from its customary environment; to create a sense of unfamiliarity that encourages fresh interpretation; to defamiliarize by disrupting habitual recognition
3. A process that transforms the ordinary into the unfamiliar by changing its typical appearance or context; to distance a concept from its common meaning to highlight different facets; to induce a heightened awareness through estrangement from everyday experience

Etymology: "Unfamiliarize" is a fairly transparent English formation: the adjective "unfamiliar" (from "un-" meaning "not" plus "familiar") with the verb-forming suffix "-ize," which turns an adjective into a verb meaning "to make such." Its root "familiar" comes from Latin "familiaris," meaning "of the household," from "familia" (household, family), which English borrowed in the 1500s. So the sense of "unfamiliar" is literally "not of the household." The verb "unfamiliarize" is a later, more deliberate construction: "un-" + "familiarize" (to make familiar), and the "-ize" suffix came into English through Greek and Latin. The form "unfamiliarize" appears in English writing from the 20th century, and its strongest modern use is in literary and art criticism. The Russian critic Viktor Shklovsky's concept of "ostranenie" (usually rendered "defamiliarization") describes the same idea: making the ordinary strange so that readers perceive it afresh. Though "unfamiliarize" is a near-synonym of that term, it is a less established term and is not a standard technical label.

Synonyms: estrange, alienate, distance, disassociate, separate

Antonyms: familiarize, acquaint, integrate, associate, connect