otherness
Americannoun
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the state or fact of being different or distinct.
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the quality or state of being perceived or treated as different, foreign, strange, etc..
Certain ethnic groups embrace their otherness.
noun
Etymology
Origin of otherness
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.
“A lot of them were exploring otherness and self-discovery through the archetypes of the genre because it was a way to express it at a time when those ideas were taboo,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
"Let's keep celebrating the otherness," she said during her acceptance speech.
From BBC ● Feb. 28, 2026
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.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2025
Because I break bread with and claim to be part of this marked construct, this otherness, complete with jail time within the carceral state, allow me to enlighten you.
From Salon ● Jan. 1, 2024
The feeling of otherness settled upon me, and I couldn’t help but wonder if people were staring at me, wondering what I was doing there in their world.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
Definitions 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.
