xenophobia

noun

xe·​no·​pho·​bia ˌze-nə-ˈfō-bē-ə How to pronounce xenophobia (audio) ˌzē- How to pronounce xenophobia (audio)
: fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or of anything that is strange or foreign

Did you know?

If you look back to the ancient Greek terms that underlie the word xenophobia, you'll discover that xenophobic individuals are literally "stranger fearing." Xenophobia, that elegant-sounding name for an aversion to persons unfamiliar, ultimately derives from two Greek terms: xenos, which can be translated as either "stranger" or "guest," and phobos, which means either "fear" or "flight." Phobos is the ultimate source of all English -phobia terms, but many of those were actually coined in English or New Latin using the combining form -phobia. Xenophobia itself came to us by way of New Latin and first appeared in print in English in the late 19th century.

Examples of xenophobia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But even as their numbers rose, Americans remained underrepresented, leading to perennial soul-searching and some xenophobia. Javier C. Hernández, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Otherwise, there is a risk of fanning the flames of xenophobia and neglecting opportunities for partnership that would benefit the United States. Dan Murphy, The Conversation, 1 Mar. 2024 The list also included a link to a statement made by Harvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana on Oct. 12, denouncing antisemitism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, and discrimination. Matt Bradley, NBC News, 29 Jan. 2024 That’s a big contrast with Hollywood’s golden age, which was tarnished by xenophobia. Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Jan. 2024 But populists’ use of xenophobia and conspiracy theories can turn that idea on its head. Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 24 Jan. 2024 What would happen if a singer who raises xenophobia, homophobia?... Alejandra Molina, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2024 Furthermore, the dispute includes implications of witchcraft, shrines – most of which are perpetuating ignorance, xenophobia and fear mongering. Shelby Stewart, Essence, 12 Jan. 2024 They are related: each moment suggests an America of testosterone and bluster, of xenophobia and nativism, of my way or the highway. TIME, 9 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'xenophobia.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

New Latin

First Known Use

1877, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of xenophobia was in 1877

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near xenophobia

Cite this Entry

“Xenophobia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/xenophobia. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

xenophobia

noun
xe·​no·​pho·​bia ˌzen-ə-ˈfō-bē-ə How to pronounce xenophobia (audio)
ˌzēn-
: fear of foreigners or foreign things
Etymology

from Greek xeno- "strange, foreign" (from xenos "foreigner") and English phobia "an exaggerated fear"

Medical Definition

xenophobia

noun
xe·​no·​pho·​bia ˌzen-ə-ˈfō-bē-ə How to pronounce xenophobia (audio) ˌzēn- How to pronounce xenophobia (audio)
: fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or of anything that is strange or foreign

More from Merriam-Webster on xenophobia

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!