Alien means belonging to a different country, race, or group, usually one you do not like or are frightened of.
[formal, disapproval]
He said they were opposed to the presence of alien forces in the region.
Synonyms: foreign, outside, strange, imported More Synonyms of alien
2. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
You use alien to describe something that seems strange and perhaps frightening, because it is not part of your normal experience.
His work offers an insight into an alien culture.
Synonyms: strange, new, foreign, novel More Synonyms of alien
3. adjective
If something is aliento you or to your normal feelings or behaviour, it is not the way you would normally feel or behave.
[formal]
Such an attitude is alien to many businesspeople. [+ to]
4. countable noun
An alien is someone who is not a legal citizen of the country in which they live.
[formal, law]
Both women had hired illegal aliens for child care.
When war broke out, he was interned as an enemy alien.
Synonyms: foreigner, incomer, immigrant, stranger More Synonyms of alien
5. countable noun
In science fiction, an alien is a creature from outer space.
More Synonyms of alien
alien in British English
(ˈeɪljən, ˈeɪlɪən)
noun
1.
a person owing allegiance to a country other than that in which he or she lives; foreigner
2.
any being or thing foreign to the environment in which it now exists
3.
(in science fiction) a being from another world, sometimes specifically an extraterrestrial
adjective
4.
unnaturalized; foreign
5.
having foreign allegiance
alien territory
6.
unfamiliar; strange
an alien quality in a work of art
7. (postpositive; and foll byto)
repugnant or opposed (to)
war is alien to his philosophy
8.
(in science fiction) of or from another world
verb
9. (transitive) rare
to transfer (property, etc) to another
Derived forms
alienage (ˈeɪljənɪdʒ, ˈeɪlɪə-)
noun
Word origin
C14: from Latin aliēnus foreign, from alius other
alien in American English
(ˈeɪljən; ˈeɪliən)
adjective
1.
belonging to another country or people; foreign
2.
strange; not natural
cruel words alien to his lips
3.
opposed or repugnant
beliefs alien to one's religion
4.
of aliens
noun
5.
a foreigner
6.
a foreign-born resident in a country who has not become a naturalized citizen
7.
an outsider
8.
in science fiction, a being in or from outer space and not native to the Earth; extraterrestrial
verb transitive
9.
to transfer (land, property, etc.)
SIMILAR WORDS: exˈtrinsic
SYNONYMY NOTE: alien is applied to a resident who bears political allegiance to another country; , foreigner, to a visitor or resident from another country, esp. one with a different language,cultural pattern, etc.; , stranger, to a person from another region who is unacquainted with local people, customs,etc.; , immigrant, to a person who comes to another country to settle; , émigré, to a citizen of one country who has left it to take political refuge in another
OPPOSITES: citizen, subject, national
Word origin
ME & OFr < L alienus < alius, other: see else
Examples of 'alien' in a sentence
alien
Together we sort of look like a pair of strange alien creatures, which is nice.
The Sun (2016)
Walking into the tent that first morning, instead of feeling very alien it all felt incredibly normal and familiar.
The Sun (2016)
It's as if you're on an alien planet.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Those brought up on speed, drama, thrills and spills were watching something alien to them.
The Sun (2017)
A cynic might think that this is precisely the sort of thing the Russians would say if they had made contact with an alien world.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The result has been uncertainty and alien concepts being pursued by divorce lawyers like fashions.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The sand gave a really alien feel.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The frustrations of working in an alien language and culture?
James Fergusson KANDAHAR COCKNEY: A Tale of Two Worlds (2004)
It has shocked me because it is something alien to me.
The Sun (2013)
The liberal cosmos has been invaded by alien space.
Christianity Today (2000)
Six million other illegal aliens will not be protected.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The wood is an alien environment for them and they are completely out of their depths.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Only there do human beings and aliens live side by side.
Zindell, David The Broken God (1993)
This turned out to be either a weather balloon or a spaceship packed with aliens.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
It is set in the secret underground lair of an alien creature.
The Sun (2012)
To me the notion of doing exercise for the sake of getting fit is completely alien.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
These are envoys from the most alien parts of the underworld.
Richard Fortey THE EARTH: An Intimate History (2004)
To probe a world as alien as the deep also takes sensitivity.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
This leads to him being interned as an enemy alien.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
It is just another home straight but it is a foreign and alien one.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Two families have made their home in a colony on an alien planet.
The Sun (2009)
All these things were alien to me before.
The Sun (2010)
Investment was an alien concept and he owned no property.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
But it also makes the rest of the world feel quite alien.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The book takes you to an utterly alien culture and makes you feel its tribulations as your own.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Is it a strange alien force?
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
He felt genuinely alien, from another planet.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
In the distant future, humanity has reached the stars and hangs out with alien races.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Equally, a night spent tugging at dress straps or getting used to alien hem lengths is neither enjoyable nor chic.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
In other languages
alien
British English: alien /ˈeɪljən; ˈeɪlɪən/ NOUN
An alien is someone who is not a legal citizen of the country in which they live.
He's an illegal alien.
American English: alien
Arabic: أَجْنَبيّ
Brazilian Portuguese: estrangeiro
Chinese: 外侨
Croatian: imigrant
Czech: cizinec
Danish: fremmed
Dutch: vreemdeling
European Spanish: extranjero
Finnish: ulkomaalainen
French: étranger inconnu
German: Ausländer
Greek: αλλοδαπός
Italian: straniero
Japanese: 外国人
Korean: 외국인
Norwegian: utlending
Polish: cudzoziemiec
European Portuguese: estrangeiro
Romanian: străin
Russian: иммигрант нелегальный
Latin American Spanish: extranjero
Swedish: främling
Thai: คนต่างด้าว
Turkish: yabancı
Ukrainian: іноземець
Vietnamese: người nước ngoài
British English: alien ADJECTIVE
Alien means belonging to a different country, race, or group, usually one you do not like or are frightened of.
He said they were opposed to the presence of alien forces in the region.
American English: alien
Brazilian Portuguese: estrangeiro
Chinese: 外国的
European Spanish: extranjero
French: étranger
German: fremd
Italian: estraneo
Japanese: よそ者
Korean: 외국의
European Portuguese: estrangeiro
Latin American Spanish: extranjero
All related terms of 'alien'
enemy alien
a citizen of one country living in another country with which it is at war, and viewed as suspect as a result
alien concept
A concept is an idea or abstract principle.
alien planet
A planet is a large, round object in space that moves around a star . The Earth is a planet.
illegal alien
a person who has entered or attempted to enter a country illegally
resident alien
an alien who has legally established residence in the U.S.
alien environment
Someone's environment is all the circumstances , people, things, and events around them that influence their life.