exotic

adjective ex·ot·ic \ ig-ˈzä-tik \

|Updated on: 20 Aug 2018

Examples: exotic in a Sentence

Definition of exotic

1 : introduced from another country : not native to the place where found

exotic plants

2 archaic : foreign, alien

3 : strikingly, excitingly, or mysteriously different or unusual

exotic flavors

4 : of or relating to striptease

exotic dancing

—

exotically

play \ig-ˈzä-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

—

exoticness

play \ig-ˈzä-tik-nəs\ noun

See exotic defined for English-language learners

See exotic defined for kids

Examples of exotic in a Sentence

She's known for her exotic tastes.
the gradual disappearance of exotic lands in a culturally homogenized world

Recent Examples of exotic from the Web

The series uses a winning combination of fast cars, cool gadgets, exotic locales and theme songs sung by top artists of the day, including Paul McCartney, Adele, and Carly Simon.

— charles stockdale and john harrington, USA TODAY, "Every James Bond film ranked from worst to best," 18 June 2018
The storm entered the Gulf of Mexico on June 5, 2001 and the sun didn't shine in Houston for days, at which point the Texas heat and the stagnant flood waters combined for a hostile humidity usually found in much more exotic locales.

— craig hlavaty, Houston Chronicle, "Remembering when Tropical Storm Allison flooded Houston," 11 June 2018
In all, about a dozen exotic locales, purposefully planned as a solo mission.

— terri akman, Philly.com, "Solo travel is a growing niche," 25 May 2018
The investment that returned volunteers have in the Peace Corps is indeed intense, and perhaps expected, given the often life-transforming experience of their service, usually at a young age and in an exotic locale.

— jean marbella, baltimoresun.com, "From Tunisia to Baltimore to Washington, new Peace Corps director at home in the world," 5 May 2018
His later work took him to exotic locales such as China and Jurassic Park.

— orlando sentinel, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Deaths in Central Florida: 3/18," 18 Mar. 2018
However, these exotic locales are far from interchangeable.

— lindsay cohn, ELLE Decor, "Why Every Culture Aficionado Needs to Visit Fez, Morocco," 6 Mar. 2018
This time not as an exotic live-work bachelor pad — its long-time use — but as a second home for a family of four that uses it to as a getaway from the burbs to the city.

— judy rose, Detroit Free Press, "Former Corktown bachelor pad is now a loft fit for the whole family," 14 July 2018
The park shelters an exotic array of stone sculpted by nature.

— roger naylor, azcentral, "10 best hikes in Arizona show off state's diverse scenery," 13 July 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of exotic

Latin exoticus, from Greek exōtikos, from exō

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1599

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

exotic Synonyms

Synonyms

fantastic (also fantastical), glamorous (also glamourous), marvelous (or marvellous), outlandish, romantic, strange;

Antonyms

familiar, nonexotic, nonglamorous, unexotic, unglamorous, unromantic;

alien, foreign;

dark, distant, faraway, remote;

alluring, captivating, enchanting, fascinating, magical;

exotic

noun

Definition of exotic

1 : one (such as a plant or animal) that is exotic

2 : stripteaser

3 : exotic shorthair

See exotic defined for English-language learners

Examples of exotic in a Sentence

Some native species are being crowded out by exotics.
the botanical garden boasts an array of horticultural exotics from around the world

Recent Examples of exotic from the Web

Unlike the Italian exotics whose curves ancient Roman sculptors would recognize as beautiful, the Senna is all lines, planes, and intersecting surfaces.

— basem wasef, WIRED, "McLaren's $958,966 Senna Hypercar Ain't Pretty, but It Can Whip a Track," 30 June 2018
Gaggles of exotics — Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Bentleys — regularly strut this pavement.

— tom voelk, New York Times, "Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo Review: ‘Silence Is the New Power’," 6 June 2018
What's new is that automakers are using not exotics and luxury model, but relying on bread-and-butter pickup trucks to introduce new technologies such as GM's four-cylinder deactivation, dual-volute turbo, and Active Thermal Management.

— matthew jancer, Popular Mechanics, "Moving More With Less: Why Four-Cylinders Are Coming to Full-Size Trucks," 21 June 2018
Featuring hot rods, classics, exotics and bikes, the season opener was a great neighborhood-style show, giving numerous awards for the winners among the stellar selection of rides participating.

— heidi van horne, Houston Chronicle, "1969 Chevy Camaro is a show-stopper in Marina del Rey," 2 June 2018
For those playing exotics, use No. 1 Bonmont and No.

— john cherwa, latimes.com, "Racing! Jon White’s top 10 Kentucky Derby horses before the San Felipe," 9 Mar. 2018
All of the other animals, most of them carnivorous exotics like tigers and lions and bears, were killed by police.

— Longreads, "Wild At Heart," 17 May 2018
Two of the exotics, ibex and oryx, trace back to Frank C. Hibben, an avid hunter and chairman of the New Mexico Game Commission in the late 1940s and ’50s who advocated importing big-game species to bolster the state’s hunting opportunities.

— aaron gulley, Outside Online, "Believe It or Not, You Can Safari in New Mexico," 16 Apr. 2018
The event will feature cars from the classics to the latest exotics.

— staff report, Houston Chronicle, "Coffee & Cars reschedules for Saturday, April 14," 11 Apr. 2018