exotic
Americanadjective
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of foreign origin or character; not native; introduced from abroad, but not fully naturalized or acclimatized.
exotic foods; exotic plants.
-
strikingly unusual or strange in effect or appearance.
an exotic hairstyle.
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of a uniquely new or experimental nature.
exotic weapons.
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of, relating to, or involving stripteasing.
the exotic clubs where strippers are featured.
noun
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exotics
plural
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something that is exotic.
The flower show included several tropical exotics with showy blooms.
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an exotic dancer; a striptease dancer or belly dancer.
adjective
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originating in a foreign country, esp one in the tropics; not native
an exotic plant
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having a strange or bizarre allure, beauty, or quality
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(of trees, esp pine trees) native to the northern hemisphere but cultivated in New Zealand
an exotic forest
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of or relating to striptease
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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exoticismnoun
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exoticnessnoun
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nonexoticadjective
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unexoticadjective
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exoticallyadverb
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nonexoticallyadverb
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unexoticallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of exotic
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin exōticus, from Greek exōtikós “foreign;” see exo-, -tic
Explanation
Something so unusual that it must be from some unfamiliar place is exotic. An exotic pet might be a panda, instead of a hamster. An exotic trip might be a journey to the Galapagos Islands, instead of to Orlando's Sea World. Animals and people, or sensory things like food and smells, are often called exotic when they are from far-away lands. In the 16th century, exotic came into use — from Latin and Greek words for "foreign," which came, in turn, from exo-, meaning "outside." By the 17th century it was also being used to describe things that are striking or unusual. Even when the words strange and alien are sometimes used as synonyms.
Vocabulary lists containing exotic
Stargirl
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"Names/Nombres" by Julia Alvarez
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"Wild Animals Aren't Pets" and "Let People Own Exotic Animals"
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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.
See Examples For:
“This car, like most exotic cars, does not pay the bills,” Brauer said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
The reserve is a safe haven for native and exotic birds, ducks and geese, and some of its collection including globally at-risk species.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Along with fantasizing about exotic locations and charming apartments, we encourage you to spend some time on the boring yet important daily life stuff.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
She singled out the city’s dozens of tusi banquets—dinner theater shows sold as exotic cultural experiences, with slickly coiffed young Tibetan men wiggling across the stage to hip-hop beats for an appreciative, largely female audience.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
She had been collecting these plants her entire life, and some of them were deliciously exotic: saffron from the high plateaus of Persia, rhubarb-currant from the Caucasus Mountains, and ginger from the Far East.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
Hannah Ellins, head of reptiles and invertebrates, said: "We do a lot of work with exotics, but it's cool being able to help our animals here."
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
Last summer, the development team lapped the Nurburgring Nordschleife test track in a mind-bending 6:49.275, thumping not a few half-million-dollar exotics in the process.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025
Hofvendahl became passionate about gardening in Altadena, where he turned their double lot into an orchard, with more than 150 fruit trees, many of them exotics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2025
At the time it was groundbreaking, even radical, to photograph transgender people as regular folk, rather than as exotics or freaks or medical specimens, and rarer still for the lensman to be transgender.
From New York Times ● Apr. 20, 2023
But I have yet to lay eyes on their exotics or ring stock.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
