alien meaning
alien :
strange, foreign
adjective
▪ The plant looks alien to this area.
▪ The plant looks strange here.
▪ The alien culture was new to them.
▪ The foreign culture was new to them.
paraphrasing
▪ unfamiliar – strange
▪ foreign – from another place
▪ strange – not usual
▪ exotic – from far away
alien :
a being from another place, often another planet
noun
▪ The movie showed aliens from space.
▪ The movie showed beings from space.
▪ He thinks aliens might visit Earth.
▪ He thinks beings from space might come to Earth.
paraphrasing
▪ extraterrestrial – being from space
▪ foreigner – person from another place
▪ outsider – someone not from here
▪ stranger – unknown person
Pronunciation
alien [ˈeɪ.li.ən]
The stress is on 'a' and sounds like 'ay-lee-uhn'.
Common phrases and grammar about alien
alien - Common meaning
adjective
strange, foreign
noun
a being from another place, often another planet
Part of Speech Changes for "alien"
▪ alienate (verb) – to make someone feel strange or not part of a group
▪ alienation (noun) – feeling of being strange or not part of a group
Common Expressions with "alien"
▪ alien species – strange or foreign species
▪ alien invasion – beings from space coming
▪ alien culture – strange or foreign culture
▪ alien environment – strange or foreign place
Important examples of alien in TOEIC
Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test
In TOEIC vocabulary questions, alien is often used to describe something strange or foreign.
Example of a confusing word: native (belonging to a particular place)
Grammar examples from the TOEIC test
Alien is used as an adjective to describe things that are not usual or familiar.
alien
Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC
alien culture
'foreign culture', used to describe a culture that is not familiar.
alien to the concept
means 'strange to the idea', used to describe something unfamiliar.
Differences between similar words and alien
alien
,
foreign
differences
Alien is often used for things or beings from another world, while foreign is used for things from another country.
alien
,
unfamiliar
differences
Alien is used for things that are not known or from another place, while unfamiliar is used for things not known or recognized.
Words with the same origin as alien
The origin of alien
alien comes from the Latin 'alienus', meaning 'belonging to another'.
Word structure
It has the root 'alien' (other), and means 'from another place'.
Words with the same origin
The root of alien is alien (other). Words with the same root include alias (another name), alienate (to make someone feel not part of a group).
