xenophobia
6 synonyms and 3 antonyms for xenophobia, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — Intense dislike, fear or hostility towards people from other countries, or towards anything perceived as foreign.
Synonyms
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Antonyms
How to use xenophobia
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
rising xenophobia
casual xenophobia
xenophobia and racism
fuel xenophobia
Neutral in register but strongly negative in force; calling someone xenophobic is an accusation, not a description.
Etymology
From Greek xenos "stranger, foreigner" and phobos "fear", formed on the model of other -phobia words.
Full origin of xenophobia →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between xenophobia and racism?
Racism is prejudice based on race or ethnicity, including against people born in the same country. Xenophobia targets foreignness itself — nationality, immigration status, accent or origin — so someone can be xenophobic towards people of their own race who come from elsewhere. In practice the two often overlap.
Is xenophobia an actual phobia?
Not in the clinical sense. Despite the -phobia ending it is not recognised as an anxiety disorder; it describes a social and political hostility rather than a diagnosable fear.
What is a person who is xenophobic called?
A xenophobe. The adjective is xenophobic, and the opposite disposition — a fondness for foreign people and cultures — is xenophilia.
