culture shock

noun

: a sense of confusion and uncertainty sometimes with feelings of anxiety that may affect people exposed to an unfamiliar culture or environment without adequate preparation

Examples of culture shock in a Sentence

Foreign students often experience culture shock when they first come to the U.S.

Moving to the city was a huge culture shock for him.

Recent Examples on the Web

But her outdoorsy childhood in Jervis Bay made stepping into new environments, like college, a culture shock. —Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026

But the culture shock of a move back to Virginia in high school hit her hard. —Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 16 May 2026

And the difficulty of his first full NHL schedule does not even take into account the culture shock Demidov and girlfriend, Ekaterina Yakovleva, are attempting to adjust to. —Arpon Basu, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2026

His first winter in Valparaiso gave him culture shock. —Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1932, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for culture shock

• electroshock
• aftershock
• antiknock
• arawak
• hollyhock
• interlock
• manioc
• shuttlecock
• tomahawk
• weathercock
• alcock
• beanstalk

Medical Definition

culture shock

noun

: a sense of confusion and uncertainty sometimes with feelings of anxiety that may affect people exposed to an alien culture or environment without adequate preparation