culture shock
a state of bewilderment and distress experienced by an individual who is suddenly exposed to a new, strange, or foreign social and cultural environment.
Origin of culture shock
1Other words from culture shock
- culture-shocked, adjective
Words Nearby culture shock
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use culture shock in a sentence
“That would be a culture shock for her, right after a full year of having all the attention,” says Aikey, who has vivid memories of the day her family bought Penny from a pet store in 2005, even though she was only in second grade.
Some Workers Are Choosing Their Pets Over Their Jobs as Offices Reopen, But Will Animal-Friendly Workplaces Catch On? | Melissa Chan | July 7, 2021 | TimeInitially a blur of culture shock juxtaposed with her ongoing disenchantment, the journals track her obsession with her elusive, rakish colleague as well as her increasingly erratic state of mind.
Amanda Dennis’s ‘Her Here’ is a spellbinding existential thriller | Lauren LeBlanc | March 11, 2021 | Washington PostOphir, an American by birth, says he experienced a bit of a culture shock when he moved to Israel.
Upon joining the modern world, he was hit with horrendous culture shock (it was the mid-90s and he had never even seen a phone).
Michelle Pfeiffer and More Stars Who Escaped From ‘Cults’ | Alec Kubas-Meyer | November 7, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTWhen did you start getting attention from guys, and was that a sort of a culture shock for you?
Heather Graham on ‘The Hangover Part III,’ Roles for Women, and More | Marlow Stern | May 24, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Moving from the West Bank to South Bend, Indiana—I imagine we're in for a big culture shock.
According to Chastain, moving across the country to New York City was “scary” and “a culture shock.”
British Dictionary definitions for culture shock
sociol the feelings of isolation, rejection, etc, experienced when one culture is brought into sudden contact with another, as when a primitive tribe is confronted by modern civilization
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with culture shock
A state of confusion and anxiety experienced by someone upon encountering an alien environment. For example, It's not just jet lag—it's the culture shock of being in a new country. This term was first used by social scientists to describe, for example, the experience of a person moving from the country to a big city. It is now used more loosely, as in the example. [Late 1930s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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