exoticism

[ ig-zot-uh-siz-uhm ]

noun

1. tendency to adopt what is exotic.
2. exotic quality or character.
3. anything exotic, as a foreign word or idiom.

Other Words From

• ex·oti·cist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of exoticism¹

First recorded in 1820–30; exotic + -ism

Example Sentences

The exoticism of food wasn’t something sociologist and NYU food studies professor Krishnendu Ray devoted much time to early in his career.

From Washington Post

Every day, he says, New York offers up some new surprise or exoticism.

From The Daily Beast

The collection was described by the house as a form of modern exoticism.

From The Daily Beast

“The exoticism of the model is supposed to be the story but it ends up being nothing,” said New Yorker writer Hilton Als.

From The Daily Beast

The island, a wonderfully clever thing, attained by artificiality a sort of strange exoticism which almost intoxicated Charmian.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• curio
• novelty
• rarity