xenophobic

[ zen-uh-foh-bik, zee-nuh‑ ]

adjective

1. relating to or exhibiting fear or hatred of foreigners, people from different cultures, or strangers.
2. relating to or exhibiting fear or dislike of the customs, dress, etc., of people who are culturally different.

Other Words From

• xeno·phobi·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of xenophobic¹

First recorded in 1910–15; xenophob(ia) + -ic

Example Sentences

Downplaying Trump’s incendiary threats of violence until just a few weeks before the election, provided both tacit and explicit sanction to xenophobic, racist and authoritarian impulses that have long simmered in the American undercurrent.

From Salon

Adetshina originally competed in the Miss South Africa contest, as she was born and grew up in the country, however she was subjected to trolling and xenophobic abuse because her father is Nigerian.

From BBC

Molina would have understood the parallels between the deportations and xenophobic policies of her times.

From Los Angeles Times

If "invading hordes of immigrants" are the enemy, and falling white birthrates are key to the problem, then the right's misogynist agenda and its xenophobic agenda are much more tightly linked than ever before.

From Salon

In 2019, ahead of Trump's state visit to the UK, Lammy also posted that the then-president was "deluded, dishonest, xenophobic, narcissistic" and "no friend of Britain".

From BBC

Related Words

• biased
• bigoted
• dictatorial
• disdainful
• dogmatic
• fanatical
• fractious
• hateful
• indignant
• irritable
• racist