xenophobia
Americannoun
-
an aversion or hostility to, disdain for, or fear of foreigners, people from different cultures, or strangers.
Xenophobia and nationalism can be seen as a reaction to the rise of globalization.
-
fear or dislike of the customs, dress, etc., of people who are culturally different from oneself.
Learning a foreign language can help to overcome xenophobia.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of xenophobia
First recorded in 1890–95; xeno- “foreign, strange” + -phobia “fear”
Explanation
Getting a job as a greeter with the United Nations is probably not the best career option for someone who suffers from xenophobia, a fear of foreigners or strangers. Xenophobia has its roots in fear — literally. Phobia comes from the Greek word meaning "fear." Given that the fear in question is of strangers, it makes sense that xeno- comes from the Greek word for — you guessed it — "stranger, foreigner." In the case of xenophobia, the fear is irrational. Someone who is xenophobic might distrust a neighbor he's never met, or a sheikh who lives halfway around the world. Xenophobia is like racism, but instead of fearing or distrusting people because of the color of their skin, you fear or distrust them because of their nationality, or because they are — or seem — foreign to you.
Vocabulary lists containing xenophobia
100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know
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100 SAT words Beginning with W,X,Y, and Z
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Phobia Fever
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Dubbed "Hodio", the tool will generate a report every six months with a table ranking each platform, according to the Spanish Observatory of Racism and Xenophobia, which will be responsible for implementing it.
From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026
Xenophobia, Islamophobia, poverty, family dysfunction: All of the usual triggers are examined, but the author goes further, to show that radicalization is not inevitable.
From New York Times • Mar. 2, 2021
But by now, here’s a sport that may have settled on one of life’s great truths: Xenophobia, nationalism, patriotism, protectionism and sheer earnest concern all bow to another force.
From Washington Post • May 30, 2017
Xenophobia was further exacerbated by the Russian Revolution and the manufactured threat of Bolshevism, or the “Red Menace.”
From The New Yorker • Feb. 4, 2017
Standing in the Green Lake circle, Kessenich-Chase held her 3-month-old in a baby carrier at her chest and a sign declaring “Racism, Misogyny and Xenophobia are non-starters with me.”
From Seattle Times • Nov. 19, 2016
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
