foreignness
State of unfamiliarity
Foreignness is the quality of being foreign—unfamiliar, alien, or from somewhere else.
The word can describe literal origin from another country the foreignness of the cuisine or a more abstract sense of strangeness and not belonging She never lost her feeling of foreignness in corporate culture.
What registers as foreign depends entirely on perspective.
Travel authorization stamp
- emigrantPerson resettling in another nation
- expatriateOne living abroad permanently
- naturalizationLegal path to belonging
- citizenshipStatus as state member
asylum · refugee · deportation · border · green card · passport · undocumented · residency
Strikingly unusual, foreign-seeming
- othernessQuality of being unlike
- ethnicOf a cultural group
- outlandishStrikingly weird or foreign-seeming
- importedObtained from overseas
State of being isolated
- disconnectionState of being severed
- isolationComplete separation from others
- displacementRemoval from usual location
- detachmentSeparation or emotional uninvolvement
outsider · misfit · exclusion · marginalization · stranger · anomie · disaffection · unmoored
Hatred of outsiders
- discriminationUnjust differential treatment
- outsiderOne excluded from group
- differenceWay things contrast
- stigmaMark of dishonor
exclusion · segregation · prejudice · distrust · suspicion · nativism · hostility · scapegoating
Quality of being peculiar
- unknownNot yet discovered
- newnessState of being recent
- peculiarityUnusual distinguishing characteristic
- odditySomething unusual or unexpected
unaccustomed · unusual · incomprehensible · unrecognizable · unexplored · disorienting · bewildering · terra incognita
Something unexplained or unknown
- curiosityDesire to learn
- noveltyQuality of being original
- fascinationIntense absorbed interest
- allureAttractive, tempting quality
unknown · mystique · enchantment · attraction · seduction · lure · captivation · beguiling
Coexistence of diverse traditions
- cosmopolitanCulturally sophisticated, internationally fluent
- pluralismCoexistence of differing views
- melting potCultural fusion place
- cross-culturalInvolving multiple societies
intercultural · polyglot · global · international · mosaic · variety · coexistence · integration
Being from outer space
- UFOUnidentified aerial craft
- otherworldlySeemingly not earthly
- RoswellNew Mexico city, UFO-famous
- Area 51Classified Nevada test facility
abduction · spacecraft · ET · invader · intergalactic · unidentified · unearthly · inhuman
visa
Travel authorization stamp
- emigrantPerson resettling in another nation
- expatriateOne living abroad permanently
- naturalizationLegal path to belonging
citizenship · asylum · refugee · deportation · border · green card · passport · undocumented · residency · diaspora
exotic
Strikingly unusual, foreign-seeming
- othernessQuality of being unlike
- ethnicOf a cultural group
- outlandishStrikingly weird or foreign-seeming
alienation
State of being isolated
- disconnectionState of being severed
- isolationComplete separation from others
- displacementRemoval from usual location
detachment · outsider · misfit · exclusion · marginalization · stranger · anomie · disaffection · unmoored · rootlessness
xenophobia
Hatred of outsiders
- discriminationUnjust differential treatment
- outsiderOne excluded from group
- differenceWay things contrast
stigma · exclusion · segregation · prejudice · distrust · suspicion · nativism · hostility · scapegoating · intolerance
strangeness
Quality of being peculiar
- unknownNot yet discovered
- newnessState of being recent
- peculiarityUnusual distinguishing characteristic
oddity · unaccustomed · unusual · incomprehensible · unrecognizable · unexplored · disorienting · bewildering · terra incognita · uncharted
mystery
Something unexplained or unknown
- curiosityDesire to learn
- noveltyQuality of being original
- fascinationIntense absorbed interest
allure · unknown · mystique · enchantment · attraction · seduction · lure · captivation · beguiling · tantalizing
multiculturalism
Coexistence of diverse traditions
- cosmopolitanCulturally sophisticated, internationally fluent
- pluralismCoexistence of differing views
- melting potCultural fusion place
cross-cultural · intercultural · polyglot · global · international · mosaic · variety · coexistence · integration · tapestry
extraterrestrial
Being from outer space
- UFOUnidentified aerial craft
- otherworldlySeemingly not earthly
- RoswellNew Mexico city, UFO-famous
Area 51 · abduction · spacecraft · ET · invader · intergalactic · unidentified · unearthly · inhuman · nonhuman
- othernessother, otherness, othering, stranger, outsider
- weirdness synonymsweirdness, strangeness, oddity, bizarreness, peculiarity
- outsidersoutcast, outsider, outcasts, pariah, misfit
- Orientalismodalisque, orientalism, Egyptology, snake charmer, harems
- new experiencesnovelty, newness, fresh start, new ground, virgin territory
foreignnessindigenousness
Being native to place
nativity · domesticity · localness · citizenship · belonging
foreignnessfamiliarity
Knowledge through experience
ordinariness · normalcy · recognizability · commonness · homeliness