xenophobic
Americanadjective
-
relating to or exhibiting fear or hatred of foreigners, people from different cultures, or strangers.
-
relating to or exhibiting fear or dislike of the customs, dress, etc., of people who are culturally different.
Other Word Forms
- xenophobically adverb
Etymology
Origin of xenophobic
First recorded in 1910–15; xenophob(ia) + -ic
Explanation
Someone who is xenophobic is abnormally hostile toward foreigners. If you don't want any foreign people in your town, then you're xenophobic. Xenophobic comes from the Greek and literally means "fear of strangers," although when we talk about someone who is xenophobic, we're talking about someone who has converted fear into hatred or contempt. Sometimes people who discriminate against foreigners or feel very strongly that no one should be allowed to immigrate to their country are also called xenophobic.
Vocabulary lists containing xenophobic
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Never Fear: Phobia, Phobic
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This Week In Words: April 19–25, 2020
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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.
The Continent “produced the genius of Mozart and Beethoven,” and it isn’t narrow or xenophobic to feel pride in this; it is a just self-respect without which you won’t be able to continue in history.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026
That year also witnessed the death of 85-year-old former Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins and the passage of the Hart-Celler Immigration Act that abolished the xenophobic quota system put in place in the 1920s.
From Slate • Jan. 26, 2025
But as elections approach, xenophobic sentiment is on the rise and South Africa's government is under pressure to tighten the border.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2024
This explosion has provoked a cultural backlash and xenophobic outbursts against immigrants trying to integrate into Colombian society, said Ronald Rodríguez, a researcher and spokesperson for the Venezuela Observatory.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 27, 2023
In the early 1990s, Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic Communist rule and established a multiparty democracy.
From The 2008 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency
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.
