as in distinctiveness
the quality or state of being different
from an early age he could sense that there was an otherness about him—he was somehow different from the other kids
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of otherness
It’s also suggested that the lack of safe spaces outside of work (where for many minorities racial and social inequalities are most felt) and home have contributed to feelings of isolation and otherness amongst young Black people.
—
L'oréal Blackett, refinery29.com, 2 Oct. 2024
Elphaba is able to repurpose her otherness for a good cause.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Often traveling far from her neighborhood to play with orchestras, she was reminded of her distinct otherness at each rehearsal.
—Pauleanna Reid, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
When everyone’s tossed together into the big salad of marginalization, otherness is made banal and abstract.
—Dean Kissick, Harper's Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for otherness
L'oréal Blackett, refinery29.com, 2 Oct. 2024
Elphaba is able to repurpose her otherness for a good cause.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Often traveling far from her neighborhood to play with orchestras, she was reminded of her distinct otherness at each rehearsal.
—Pauleanna Reid, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
When everyone’s tossed together into the big salad of marginalization, otherness is made banal and abstract.
—Dean Kissick, Harper's Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for otherness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for otherness
Noun
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Shoppers are not expected to see a difference at the supermarket checkout line since the new law just shifts collection of the revenue.—
Daniel I. Dorfman,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2025
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The world needs all of us—our voices, our differences and our commitment to lifting one another up.—
Shikha Bajaj,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The Crown’s offensive diversity — featuring 10 different goal scorers this season — proved ineffective against New England’s tactical discipline.—
Colin Cerniglia,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Apr. 2025
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Within the first 100 days of his second administration President Donald Trump has been incredibly busy, implementing major changes from enacting tariffs to targeting diversity initiatives.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Even for the big names, the distinction between the pure and the pragmatic holds fast.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2025
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Technical Architecture Supports Continuous Improvement The distinction between NeMo and Nvidia’s Inference Microservices, branded as NIMs, lies in their complementary functions.—
Janakiram MSV,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
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By contrast, Lyon have progressed from their previous 11 semi-finals in this competition, going on to win eight of the resulting finals.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2025
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By contrast, the lab origin hypothesis largely relies on the proximity of a research lab to the first cases, conjecture, and distrust of the Chinese government, which has not been forthcoming with information on the early days of the health crisis.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
18 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Otherness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/otherness. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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