xenophobic
Americanadjective
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relating to or exhibiting fear or hatred of foreigners, people from different cultures, or strangers.
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relating to or exhibiting fear or dislike of the customs, dress, etc., of people who are culturally different.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of xenophobic
First recorded in 1910–15; xenophob(ia) + -ic
Explanation
Someone who is xenophobic is abnormally hostile toward foreigners. If you don't want any foreign people in your town, then you're xenophobic. Xenophobic comes from the Greek and literally means "fear of strangers," although when we talk about someone who is xenophobic, we're talking about someone who has converted fear into hatred or contempt. Sometimes people who discriminate against foreigners or feel very strongly that no one should be allowed to immigrate to their country are also called xenophobic.
Vocabulary lists containing xenophobic
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Never Fear: Phobia, Phobic
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This Week In Words: April 19–25, 2020
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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.
The Continent “produced the genius of Mozart and Beethoven,” and it isn’t narrow or xenophobic to feel pride in this; it is a just self-respect without which you won’t be able to continue in history.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026
That year also witnessed the death of 85-year-old former Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins and the passage of the Hart-Celler Immigration Act that abolished the xenophobic quota system put in place in the 1920s.
From Slate • Jan. 26, 2025
Molina would have understood the parallels between the deportations and xenophobic policies of her times.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2024
They rowed most recently over the Miss South Africa controversy which saw a half-Nigerian contestant step down following xenophobic abuse.
From BBC • Aug. 23, 2024
Albania: In 1990 Albania ended 44 years of xenophobic communist rule and established a multiparty democracy.
From The 2001 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency
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.
