xenophobia
Xenophobia (noun) means Intense dislike, fear or hostility towards people from other countries, or towards anything perceived as foreign. Example: “The campaign was widely condemned as an appeal to xenophobia.”
How to Use Xenophobia
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishFear or hatred of people from other countries.
Neutral in register but strongly negative in force; calling someone xenophobic is an accusation, not a description.
Stress falls on the third syllable: zen-uh-FOH-bee-uh, and the initial x is pronounced z.
Trace the full origin ↓Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
The campaign was widely condemned as an appeal to _____.
Etymology
From Greek xenos "stranger, foreigner" and phobos "fear", formed on the model of other -phobia words.
Synonyms
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Related Words
Rhymes for xenophobia
See all rhymes for 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.
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