otherness

American  

[uhth-er-nis] / ˈʌð ər nɪs /

noun

1. the state or fact of being different or distinct.

2. the quality or state of being perceived or treated as different, foreign, strange, etc..

   Certain ethnic groups embrace their otherness.

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ˈotherness British  

/ ˈʌðənɪs /

noun

1. the quality of being different or distinct in appearance, character, etc

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Etymology

Origin of otherness

First recorded in 1580–90; other + -ness

Example Sentences

What Thompson-Hernández’s art so easily dispels, no matter the genre it finds a home in, are all the knotty, misguided and trite representations of otherness in our contemporary world.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 27, 2026

But the sense of otherness remained, even after Carlile married and had two kids with British charity director Catherine Shepherd.

From BBC • Oct. 23, 2025

Penfolds refers to these blends as "wine of the world", and says that they "possess an otherness that can best be described as worldly".

From BBC • Jan. 24, 2025

Amidst current events, what's really solidified my identity as a Jew is a sense of otherness and separateness from the rest of the community — a feeling that I’ve experienced for most of my life.

From Salon • Oct. 16, 2023

Now the painted group felt the otherness of Samneric, felt the power in their own hands.

From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding

Related Words

• characteristic
• contrast
• difference
• differentiation
• discrepancy
• discrimination
• divergence
• division
• judgment
• nicety
• perception
• quality
• sensitivity
• separation