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

Etymology

Origin of culture shock

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

culture shock

Norishige Sato’s culture shock came in the form of the free chips and salsa that arrived unbidden at a Mexican restaurant in Texas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

A British couple detained by the Taliban in Afghanistan for seven-and-a-half months have described a "huge culture shock" after returning to the UK.

From BBC ● Feb. 13, 2026

This culture shock played out a different way with the students Tran taught English to in Vietnam.

From Salon ● Dec. 31, 2025

Edward, in his all-black leather outfit with his wild hair, is a visual culture shock, especially in comparison to the pastel world of the burbs he moves into.

From Salon ● Nov. 26, 2025

The culture shock I’d felt when I first got to campus was real.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad