fear of strangers
Distrust of outsiders
Xenophobia is the formal term, though it more often describes hostility toward foreigners than simple fear.
In psychology, fear of strangers describes a normal developmental stage in infants around eight months old, when babies become wary of unfamiliar faces: The pediatrician said her fear of strangers is completely typical at this age.
In adults, persistent fear of strangers may indicate social anxiety.
- xenophobiaHatred of outsiders
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
- social anxietyFear of being judged
- distrustAbsence of confidence
- trust issuesSkepticism toward others' motives
wariness · outsider · unfamiliar · suspicion · caution · safety first · shy · timid · nervous · hesitant · social · introvert · comfort zone · avoid · unknown · foreigner · alien · threat
- social fearssocial anxiety, social phobia, shyness, self-consciousness, glossophobia
- timiditybashfulness, shyness, timidness, timorousness, meekness
fear of strangershospitality
Generous treatment of guests
cosmopolitanism · inclusivity · open-mindedness · open-door policy · inclusiveness
fear, fears, feared, fearing, fearful, fearless, fearsome, stranger, strangers