foreigner

IPA/ˈfɒrənə(r)/
KK[fˈɔrənɚ]IPA/ˈfɔːrənər/

foreigner — 名詞

  • 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

外國人

來自其他國家的人

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.

Adina 對於自己是辦公室裡唯一的外國人感到緊張。

feel like a foreigner — emotional experience of being the outsider

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

這間學校為住在該市的外國人提供免費的中文課程。

foreigners living in [place] — residence pattern

常見搭配
  • foreigner registration
  • foreigner visa
  • hostile to foreigners
  • welcome foreigners
  • attitude toward foreigners
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

外人；局外人

不屬於某群體的人

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.

在家庭聚會上，Élise 在一群健談的表親中間覺得自己像個外人。

feel like a foreigner — metaphorical belonging

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

Rafael 在金融圈完全是個局外人，對股票一竅不通。

complete foreigner + in [domain] — intensifier pattern

常見搭配
  • feel like a foreigner
  • complete foreigner
  • foreigner to [something]
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.

同根字