foreigner

/ˈfɒrənə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈfɔːrənər/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfȯr-ə-nər ˈfär-/ (ame, mw)

foreigner — noun

  • foreignersingular
  • foreignersplural

1. Someone living in or visiting a country where they were not born and do not hold

1.名詞A2
釋義

Someone living in or visiting a country where they were not born and do not hold citizenship.

例句

Adina felt nervous about being the only foreigner in the office.

feel like a foreigner — emotional experience of being the outsider

The school offers free Chinese classes to foreigners living in the city.

foreigners living in [place] — residence pattern

同義詞
  • alien

    formal, legal term used in government and immigration documents

  • non-citizen

    neutral, legal/governmental register

  • expatriate

    someone living abroad by choice, often for work; implies longer stay and usually a professional context

  • immigrant

    someone who has moved permanently to a new country to settle

反義詞
  • citizen

    a legal member of a country with full rights

  • native

    someone born in the place they live — broader than legal citizenship

文法句型

foreigner + verb

feel like a foreigner

foreigner + relative clause

用法筆記

Can carry a slightly distancing tone depending on context. In formal or welcoming writing, terms like 'international visitor', 'expatriate', or 'non-citizen' are sometimes preferred over 'foreigner'.

常見錯誤

❌Many foreigners are staying at that hotel.
✅Many international guests are staying at that hotel.
💡'Foreigner' can sound blunt or unfriendly in casual settings; 'guest' or 'visitor' sounds more natural and welcoming.
❌She is a foreigner from Canada.
✅She is from Canada.
💡When the country is named, 'foreigner' is redundant and sounds odd.

2. A person who feels excluded from a group, community, or social setting, or is tr

2.名詞B2
釋義

A person who feels excluded from a group, community, or social setting, or is treated as if they do not belong there — without any literal foreign country being involved.

例句

At the family reunion, Élise felt like a foreigner among her talkative cousins.

feel like a foreigner — metaphorical belonging

Rafael was a complete foreigner in the finance world, knowing nothing about stocks.

complete foreigner + in [domain] — intensifier pattern

同義詞
  • outsider

    more neutral and common in everyday use

  • stranger

    emphasizes not being known or recognized by others

  • newcomer

    temporary state — implies they will eventually belong

反義詞
  • insider

    someone accepted and familiar within a group

  • member

    someone belonging to the group by status or participation

  • local

    a person from that specific place

文法句型

feel like a foreigner

be a foreigner to [domain]

用法筆記

Always used in a metaphorical or extended sense — no literal foreign country is involved, only the feeling of not fitting in. Frequently appears in the fixed expression 'feel like a foreigner'.

常見錯誤

❌He was a foreigner at the party because he didn't know anyone.
✅He felt like a foreigner at the party because he didn't know anyone.
💡This sense is about the feeling of being an outsider, not actual nationality. Add 'feel like' when no foreign country is involved.