foreignness

IPA/ˈfɒrənnəs/
IPA/ˈfɔːrənnəs/

foreignness — noun

1. Being from a place other than the one where you live — the opposite of belonging

1.nounB2
Definition

Being from a place other than the one where you live — the opposite of belonging to a country by birth or long residence. For instance, when a person's accent, appearance, or customs mark them as coming from somewhere else.

Example

Takeshi's Japanese accent signaled his foreignness as soon as he started working in São Paulo.

signaled by accent or appearance

Megan felt the foreignness of the Moroccan market in every unfamiliar smell and sound around her.

foreignness + of + place

Common collocations
  • sense of foreignness
  • feeling of foreignness
  • marked by foreignness
Synonyms
  • otherness

    broader term that includes any kind of difference, not just national

  • alienness

    stronger, more negative word suggesting something is not just foreign but unwelcome or threatening

  • exoticism

    focuses on the attractive, exciting side of being foreign

Antonyms
  • nativeness

    the quality of belonging to a place by birth

Grammar Patterns

foreignness + of + noun phrase

Usage Note

Typically used with possessive adjectives (her foreignness, his foreignness) or after 'the foreignness of + noun' to identify the person or thing from another country. Common verbs include 'feel', 'notice', 'signal', and 'sense'.

Common Mistakes

The foreignness culture was interesting.
The foreignness of the culture was interesting.
foreignness is a noun that requires 'of' before the thing being described as foreign.

2. How strange, unusual, or disorienting something feels when it lies entirely outs

2.nounB2
Definition

How strange, unusual, or disorienting something feels when it lies entirely outside a person's normal experience. For example, the odd feeling you get in a place that should feel familiar but no longer does.

Example

After living abroad for five years, Olivia felt a strange foreignness in her childhood bedroom.

foreignness of a once-familiar place

The foreignness of the new computer system made it hard for Greta to finish her reports on time.

foreignness + of + unfamiliar system or object

Common collocations
  • sense of foreignness
  • strange foreignness
  • foreignness of a place
Synonyms
  • unfamiliarity

    more neutral; simply means not known, without the emotional tone of strangeness

  • strangeness

    broader term that can apply to anything odd, not only things outside one's normal experience

  • oddness

    milder and slightly informal; suggests something is unusual but not necessarily disorienting

Antonyms
  • familiarity

    the state of being well known and easily recognised

Grammar Patterns

foreignness + of + noun phrase

Usage Note

Commonly paired with verbs of perception such as 'feel', 'notice', 'strike', or 'sense'. Often describes a place or object that a person expects to find familiar but experiences as strange.

Common Mistakes

A foreignness feeling came over me.
A feeling of foreignness came over me.
foreignness is an abstract noun, not an adjective, so it cannot directly modify another noun.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe being different, but they differ in scope and tone. 'Foreignness' is the most concrete: it specifically means being from another country. 'Otherness' is broader, covering any kind of difference (racial, social, cultural) and is common in academic writing about identity. 'Alienness' carries a sharper, more negative edge — it suggests something is not just different but unwelcome or threatening, like an alien creature. 'Exoticism' has the opposite flavour: it emphasises the attractive, glamorous side of being foreign, as when tourists seek out 'exotic' food or art. In everyday use, 'foreignness' is neutral and factual ('the foreignness of his accent was obvious'), while 'otherness' and 'alienness' tend to appear in more analytical or dramatic contexts.

foreignness ↗othernessalienness ↗exoticism

Common collocations

Nouns

  • sense of foreignness
  • feeling of foreignness
  • air of foreignness

Phrases

  • a certain foreignness
  • an element of foreignness

Prepositions

  • foreignness of

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Formed from the adjective 'foreign' (from Old French 'forain', meaning 'outside, outward') plus the suffix '-ness', which turns adjectives into nouns. The French word traces back to Latin 'foranus' ('on the outside'), from 'foris' ('outdoor, outside'). So the core image has always been about being on the outside.