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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Recent Examples of otherness
Putting a woman in the part to begin with already establishes a sense of otherness that breaks away from the tendency to play Christ as a shaggy-haired, pissy hippie.
—
Chris Willman, Variety, 4 Aug. 2025
And where many comics offered sympathetic allegories about prejudice and otherness, the Panther storylines often dispensed with subtext altogether.
—Ekow Eshun
july 11, Literary Hub, 11 July 2025
Superman is Earth’s most famous immigrant, after all, and his otherness gets talked about a lot.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 8 July 2025
The withholding nature of Chernin’s Leo poses some theatrical risks but goes a long way toward explaining how the character’s otherness could be turned against him in such a malignant way.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for otherness
Chris Willman, Variety, 4 Aug. 2025
And where many comics offered sympathetic allegories about prejudice and otherness, the Panther storylines often dispensed with subtext altogether.
—Ekow Eshun
july 11, Literary Hub, 11 July 2025
Superman is Earth’s most famous immigrant, after all, and his otherness gets talked about a lot.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 8 July 2025
The withholding nature of Chernin’s Leo poses some theatrical risks but goes a long way toward explaining how the character’s otherness could be turned against him in such a malignant way.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for otherness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for otherness
Noun
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Your wallet — and your customer service experience — will depend on knowing the difference.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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For planes flying 30,000 feet above sea level or military vehicles traveling through combat zones, that level of reliability can mean the difference between life and death.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Ermiya Fanaeian, a transgender woman of color and formerly a diversity director at the University of Utah, founded AQSLC after parting ways with the Pink Pistols, an LGBT organization advocating in support of firearm safety and bearing arms as a means of self-defense.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Sep. 2025
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That includes rules on supplier diversity and a state law requiring annual reports on hiring of women, minorities, disabled veterans, and LGBTQ+ individuals.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The only Sacagawea dollar coin sold at the auction without the distinction of having been flown to space was sold for $120,000.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
15 Sep. 2025
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The biggest distinction is at coordinator.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In that spirit, the exhibition resists the expectation that women and non-binary artists must define themselves in contrast to a male norm.—
Caterina De Biasio,
Vogue,
11 Sep. 2025
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In contrast to conventional phases of matter, the non-equilibrium quantum ones are defined by their dynamical and time-evolving properties.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Otherness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/otherness. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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