otherness

[uhth-er-nis]

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.

ˈotherness

/ ˈʌðənɪs /

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of ˈotherness¹

First recorded in 1580–90; other + -ness

Example Sentences

Amina’s sleepwalking—a concept inconceivable to the villagers, who think the town is haunted—gets her in trouble, and is here a manifestation of her “otherness” and innate resistance to the community’s rigidity.

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How are these collaborations a small resistance to that cruel way of seeing otherness?

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As a Kryptonian raised on Earth by human parents, the character has been shown in stories where he struggles with his own sense of otherness and belonging because he straddles two worlds.

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The withholding nature of Chernin’s Leo poses some theatrical risks but goes a long way toward explaining how the character’s otherness could be turned against him in such a malignant way.

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

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Related Words

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