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unaccustomed to

unaccustomed to

4 5.3
Not used to something because you have not done it often
  • idiom
  • /ˌʌnəˈkʌstəmd tu/
translation icon : no acostumbrado a
  • Having lived at sea level most of my life, I was unaccustomed to the thin mountain air.
  • students unaccustomed to

Examples

  • Some of the younger demons were obviously unaccustomed to manual labor.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • What emerged was a portrait of a once proud and individualistic people, now almost ungovernable and unaccustomed to the restraints of urban civilization.

    Academic text (1999)
  • A soul unaccustomed to drugs would find them a natural refuge after listening to Mr. Young.

    Blog text (1)
  • "Excuse me," he said in the voice of one clearly unaccustomed to apologizing.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • The Tlingits are a reserved and private people, unaccustomed to asking or being asked questions.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Youth from affluent environments are often unaccustomed to the physical and psychological challenges of athletic participation.

    Academic text (2004)
  • Meanwhile, C.R. was still struggling through the descent check, obviously unaccustomed to right-seat duties.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Bev, an East Coaster that she was, was unaccustomed to temblors.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • The negotiating sessions, consisting of speeches followed by caucuses, more speeches, and new proposals, were stressful to those unaccustomed to them.

    Academic text (2001)
  • Having lived at sea level most of my life, I was unaccustomed to the thin mountain air.

Synonyms

unfamiliar
vsunaccustomed to
104 4.4

Not known or seen before

implies lack of habituation from little previous exposure rather than mere anonymity
unfamiliar with
vsunaccustomed to
29 4.1

Not knowing much about something

points to unfamiliarity because of rare past experience not mere novelty
uninitiated
vsunaccustomed to
8 8.0

People who do not know about a subject or activity

frames unfamiliarity as lack of practice in tasks rather than simple nonrecognition
unaccustomed
vsunaccustomed to
7 5.3

Not used to something so it feels strange

emphasises lack of repeated experience and not being habituated to
unused to
vsunaccustomed to
3 4.2

Not familiar with a thing or situation

highlights unfamiliarity due to uncommon prior experience rather than general unknownness
unacquainted
vsunaccustomed to
1 6.5

Not familiar with someone or something

places weight on not being habituated rather than only lacking facts
unacquainted with
vsunaccustomed to
1 6.7

Not knowing about something because you have no experience with it

stresses unfamiliarity from inexperience rather than simple lack of information
unhabituated
vsunaccustomed to
8.2

Not used to a new place or situation and finding it difficult to adjust

focuses on unfamiliarity caused by little or no past experience
unconversant
vsunaccustomed to
8.4

Not familiar with a subject or its details

focuses on unfamiliarity from missing habits rather than subject ignorance
unadapted
vsunaccustomed to
7.3

Not used to new conditions and so struggle to live or work there

emphasises unfamiliarity from lack of habituation rather than adaptation process

Antonyms

116 3.5

Familiar with something because you do it often

How Familiar

accustomed to
116 3.5
familiar
793 1.0
unaccustomed to
4 5.3
new
1.0

Surface Forms

unaccustomed to positive

Morphology

unaccustomed + to

The phrase is directly compositional: 'unaccustomed' means 'not accustomed' and the preposition 'to' marks the thing one is not used to, so the overall meaning 'not familiar with / not habituated to' can be derived from the parts. This negation + prepositional-complement pattern is common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily understand it.

Etymology

Unaccustomed to comes from the idea of being not accustomed — not 'used' to something. Imagine a person from a warm country stepping into snow for the first time and feeling surprised; that image shows why it means 'not familiar with' or 'not used to' a situation.