- pronunciation:
- eI
li
n
[or]
eIl
yn
- parts of speech:
- noun, adjective
- features:
- Word History, Word Explorer, Word Parts
| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition 1: |
An alien is a person who lives in a country but is not a citizen. If you are an American citizen but living in France, you are an alien while you are living there.
Aliens often have permission to work at jobs, but they cannot vote in elections.- antonyms:
- citizen, native
- similar words:
- foreigner, immigrant, resident
|
| definition 2: |
If people treat you like an alien, they treat you like you are not part of their group. If you feel like an alien, you feel like you don't fit in with the people around you.
Terrell felt like an alien in his new school until he made some friends.- synonyms:
- stranger
- antonyms:
- member
- similar words:
- foreigner
|
| definition 3: |
An alien is a living being from another planet. We don't know that aliens really exist, but many people believe there is life on other planets.
Elena had a dream that some friendly aliens took her away in their spaceship. |
|
|
| part of speech: |
adjective |
| definition 1: |
When something seems alien to you, it seems strange or not natural.
Marcus grew up in the big city and life on the farm felt alien to him at first, especially getting up at five o'clock in the morning to help with chores.- synonyms:
- foreign, strange
- antonyms:
- familiar
- similar words:
- odd
|
| definition 2: |
An alien thing is something that belongs to another place.
Pineapple plants are alien to Canada.My mom says it's good to travel to other countries and learn about alien customs.- synonyms:
- foreign, strange
- antonyms:
- domestic, native
|
| related words: |
foreign, new, strange |
| derivation: |
alienness (n.) |
The English word
alien comes from a Latin word
alienus that means "belonging to another place or person." In the English spoken in the 1300s, "alien" took on the meaning of "foreigner." Six hundred years later, in the 1900s, "alien" began to be used as a word for beings from another planet.