alien

adjective

\ ˈā-lē-ən

, ˈāl-yən\

Definition of alien

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : belonging or relating to another person, place, or thing : strange an alien environment

b : relating, belonging, or owing allegiance to another country or government : foreign alien residents

c : exotic sense 1 alien plants

d : coming from another world : extraterrestrial alien beings an alien spaceship When it comes to knowing what alien life forms might be like, we don't have any idea.— Kate Shuster

2 : differing in nature or character typically to the point of incompatibility ideas alien to democracy

alien

noun

Definition of alien (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : a person of another family, race, or nation aliens seeking asylum in the U.S.

2 : a foreign-born resident who has not been naturalized and is still a subject or citizen of a foreign country broadly : a foreign-born citizen

3 : extraterrestrial a movie about an invasion of Earth by monstrous aliens

4 : exotic sense 1 Russian thistle, kudzu, and other aliens

alien

verb

aliened; aliening; aliens

Definition of alien (Entry 3 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : alienate, estrange

2 : to transfer the title of (property)

Other Words from alien Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about alien

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Synonyms & Antonyms for alien

Synonyms: Adjective

foreign, nonnative

Synonyms: Verb

alienate, disaffect, disgruntle, estrange, sour

Antonyms: Adjective

domestic, native

Antonyms: Verb

reconcile

Choose the Right Synonym for alien

Adjective

extrinsic, extraneous, foreign, alien mean external to a thing, its essential nature, or its original character. extrinsic applies to what is distinctly outside the thing in question or is not contained in or derived from its essential nature. sentimental value that is extrinsic to the house's market value extraneous applies to what is on or comes from the outside and may or may not be capable of becoming an essential part. arguments extraneous to the issue foreign applies to what is so different as to be rejected or repelled or to be incapable of becoming assimilated. techniques foreign to French cuisine alien is stronger than foreign in suggesting opposition, repugnance, or irreconcilability. a practice totally alien to her nature

Examples of alien in a Sentence

Adjective

new immigrants with customs alien to the community where they have settled it's completely alien to her nature to wish evil of anyone

Noun

aliens seeking asylum in the U.S. He claims that he was captured by space aliens.

Verb

such emotional cruelty will rapidly alien any friends you might possibly have left the couple plans to alien the adjoining house lot to their eldest son

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Many think Europa’s salty seas could harbor some sort of alien life. — Shannon Stirone, WIRED, "Space Photos of the Week: Salt of the Jupiter Moon," 15 June 2019 So when an intense alien with nefarious plans and sky high stilettos, Vuk (Jessica Chastain) tells her that she’s just misunderstood and to follow her, Jean is all ears. — Lindsey Bahr, Detroit Free Press, "The X-Men struggle to the end in ‘Dark Phoenix’," 6 June 2019 On the contrary, Wiles’ proof is the point of departure for an open-ended dialogue that is too elusive and alive to be limited by foundational constraints that are alien to the subject matter. — Quanta Magazine, "Why the Proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem Doesn’t Need to Be Enhanced," 3 June 2019 While the company did port iTunes to Windows in 2003, which helped the nascent service and the iPod take off, this strategy is mostly alien to Apple. — Christopher Mims, WSJ, "Apple’s Next Move: Be More Like Microsoft," 10 Jan. 2019 In 1962 Eero Saarinen revolutionized architecture with his TWA Flight Center, an avian—or maybe alien—shape looming over the the outskirts of John F. Kennedy (then called Idlewild) airport. — Steff Yotka, Vogue, "Louis Vuitton Wants to Turn Your Bag Into a TV," 9 May 2019 The original Barbie seemed to share Bild Lilli’s makeup and her alien proportions, which Handler was supposedly attracted to exactly for their dissimilitude to real human features, per the Hulu documentary Tiny Shoulders. — Brennan Kilbane, Allure, "Barbie's 60th Birthday Wish Was to Be More Inclusive. Now What?," 2 May 2019 The Little Shop of Horrors follows Seymour Krelborn (Rick Moranis), his love interest, Audrey (Ellen Greene), and Seymour’s man-eating alien-plant, Audrey II. — Marley Marius, Vogue, "The 5 Campiest Musicals Ever Made," 27 Apr. 2019 Fashion > Models All humans are part alien, according to Amanda Googe. — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, "How Amanda Googe Went from Modeling for Chanel to Making Surrealist Art," 16 Apr. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

None of these aliens have been called back to their respective planets. — Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, "Which celebrities are revealed as space aliens in 'Men in Black: International'? (spoilers)," 17 June 2019 Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth, that cute couple from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Thor: Ragnarok), headline this reboot of the Will Smith/Tommy Lee Jones action comedies about secret agencies regulating a secret society of space aliens. — Gary Thompson, https://www.inquirer.com, "It’s blockbuster season: Here are the movies you need to see this summer," 5 June 2019 All those aliens, turns out, might have at least a few places to live. — Sarah Scoles, WIRED, "The WIRED Guide to Aliens," 5 June 2019 Heinlein’s controversial book was first published in 1959 at the height of the Cold War, depicting a brutal war between humans and a civilization of insectoid aliens. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "An artist on creating the retro art for a new edition of Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers," 9 Dec. 2018 Potty training can start to feel like a time repeating movie, like Groundhog Day, or Edge of Tomorrow but with poop instead of aliens. — Ida Lieszkovszky, cleveland.com, "Don't despair about dirty underwear: Multitasking Moms and Dads," 22 Apr. 2018 There are no aliens in this story, which follows the life of a young man named Chen who watches as both of his parents are incinerated by a phenomenon known as ball lightning. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "From the author of The Three-Body Problem," 15 Sep. 2018 The principals uniformly have strong voices, as does the excellent choir of aliens. — Matthew J. Palm, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Jokes fly faster than warp factor 9 in 'Star Trek Abduction'," 1 June 2018 Initially Brawl Stars had a sci-fi style, with astronauts and aliens, which slowly morphed into more of a Western look to better fit the style of game. — Andrew Webster, The Verge, "Supercell’s new game mixes Fortnite and Clash Royale, and it’s out soon," 14 Nov. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The objects, their controllers, and their motivations could utterly alien and unknowable. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "That Time the U.S. Navy Had a Close Encounter With a UFO," 18 Dec. 2017 Alien is a horror movie on a spaceship, to which Aliens adds space marines. — Charlie Jane Anders, WIRED, "Alien: Covenant Proves ‘Franchise Fatigue’ Really Means ‘Boring Movies’," 19 May 2017 The answer, in any case, can only be the Giger alien itself, a contribution to the pantheon of modern design up there with the Coca-Cola logo and the Nike swoosh. — A. O. Scott, New York Times, "Review: ‘Alien: Covenant’ Stays on Brand With Its Terror," 17 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'alien.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Statistics for alien

Last Updated

19 Jun 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for alien

The first known use of alien was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for alien

alien

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of alien

(Entry 1 of 2)

: not familiar or like other things you have known : different from what you are used to

: from another country

: too different from something to be acceptable or suitable

alien

noun

English Language Learners Definition of alien (Entry 2 of 2)

: a person who was born in a different country and is not a citizen of the country in which he or she now lives

: a creature that comes from somewhere other than the planet Earth

See the full definition for alien in the English Language Learners Dictionary

alien

adjective

\ ˈā-lē-ən

, ˈāl-yən\

Kids Definition of alien

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : different from what is familiar Keeping their hands clean was an alien idea to the young boys.

2 : from another country and not a citizen of the country of residence : foreign an alien resident

3 : from somewhere other than the planet earth an alien spaceship

alien

noun

Kids Definition of alien (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a resident who was born elsewhere and is not a citizen of the country in which he or she now lives

2 : a being that comes from somewhere other than the planet earth

alien

adjective

\ ˈā-lē-ən, ˈāl-yən

Legal Definition of alien

(Entry 1 of 3)

: relating, belonging, or owing allegiance to another country or government

alien

noun

Legal Definition of alien (Entry 2 of 3)

: a foreign-born resident who has not been naturalized and is still a subject or citizen of a foreign country illegal aliens an alien lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence — U.S. Code