Synonyms for alien
- adjective
- noun
Most common
other-worldly hostile weird unearthly foreign irrelevant nonterrestrial
Synonyms by meaning
Adjective
1. Strange — very unfamiliar, strange, or removed
other-worldly, hostile, weird, unearthly, incongruous, opposed, adverse, contradictory, contrary, conflicting, frem, strange dated, outlandish dated, monstrous dated, uncouth dated
2. Foreign — not belonging to the same country, land, or government, or to the citizens or subjects thereof; foreign
foreign, irrelevant, extraneous, remote, intrusive, unconnected, separated, extrinsic, allotrious
3. Nonterrestrial — pertaining to extraterrestrial life; typical of an extraterrestrial creature
nonterrestrial, xenomorphic
Noun
1. Foreigner
foreigner, non-citizen, outlander, outsider, barbarian, nonresident, peregrine, outener, outcomeling, strangeling, noninhabitant
2. Stranger — A person, animal, plant, or other thing which is from outside the family, group, organization, or territory…
Other
extra-terrestrial, unknown, space alien US, non-national, tramontana
Definitions
- adj. 1
Not belonging to the same country, land, or government, or to the citizens or subjects thereof; foreign.
alien subjects, enemies, property, or shores
- adj. 2
Very unfamiliar, strange, or removed.
principles alien to our religion
- n. 1
A person, animal, plant, or other thing which is from outside the family, group, organization, or territory under consideration.
- n. 2
A citizen or national of another sovereign state.
Related words
- Word family
- alienage
- Phrases
- illegal alien space alien undocumented alien alien species ancient alien ego alien grey alien
Forms
- Plural
- aliens → foreigners, non-citizens, outlanders, outsiders…
Choose the right word
Foreign refers to difference of birth, alien to difference of allegiance. In their figurative use, that is foreign which is remote, unlike, or unconnected; that is alien which is conflicting, hostile, or opposed.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- weird I may be imagining it, but something smells weird.
- hostile The Soviet Union took a hostile attitude toward us.
- unearthly The snow on Lulu Island seems eerie and unearthly.
- foreign The Foreign Minister said that war was inevitable.
By length
- 4 letters
- frem
- 5 letters
- weird1, guest1
- 6 letters
- remote2, exotic3
- 7 letters
- foreign2, strange1, opposed2, unknown2, hostile2, adverse2, uncouth2, outener
- 8 letters
- stranger2, contrary3, outsider3, unallied
- 9 letters
- separated4, foreigner3, monstrous2, intrusive3, barbarian4, outlander, peregrine3, extrinsic3, unearthly3
- 10 letters
- irrelevant4, outlandish3, extraneous4, tramontana4, allotrious
- 11 letters
- conflicting3, unconnected4, incongruous4, nonresident4, xenomorphic, outcomeling, strangeling
- 13 letters
- contradictory5, noninhabitant
- 14 letters
- nonterrestrial
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (remote2 = 2 syllables).