culture shock

American  

noun

• culture shocks
  plural

1. a state of bewilderment and distress experienced by an individual who is suddenly exposed to a new, strange, or foreign social and cultural environment.

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culture shock British  

noun

1. 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

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culture shock Idioms  

1. 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]

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• culture-shocked
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• culture shocks
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of culture shock

First recorded in 1955–60

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

culture shock

There was a requisite culture shock, missing friends and family, and impostor syndrome.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

Modi himself addressed the issue in a selfie video where he said it was "a culture shock" to see young women using expletives, but added that he forgave them.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

Bandy had only visited Paris for a week before, but she didn’t expect culture shock would affect her as much as it did.

From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026

She talked about her first night out with her Californian roommate and the culture shock of seeing students wearing shorts to class and their public displays of affection.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026

Nor were the women themselves immune from culture shock.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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