Meaning & use
xenophobia
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Meaning
noununcountabledisapproving
Fear, hatred or distrust of people from other countries or cultures, or of anything seen as foreign.
Grammar: No plural and no article: xenophobia is growing.
Patterns
- xenophobia towards someone
- xenophobia against someone
The campaign tried to fight xenophobia by bringing newcomers and locals together.
Fear of job losses sometimes fuels xenophobia in the region.
The report found a rise in xenophobia against migrant workers.
Common combinations
- rising xenophobia
- Experts warned about rising xenophobia during the economic downturn.
- fuel xenophobia
- Sensational headlines can fuel xenophobia.
- combat xenophobia
- Schools can help combat xenophobia by teaching about other cultures.
- racism and xenophobia
- The law bans racism and xenophobia in public advertising.
- xenophobia towards immigrants
- The mayor condemned xenophobia towards immigrants.
Synonyms and how they differ
- nativism
- Nativism is a political position favoring established inhabitants over immigrants, while xenophobia is the broader fear or dislike.
- racism
- Racism targets people because of race, while xenophobia targets those seen as foreign, even of the same race.
- bigotry
- Bigotry means stubborn intolerance of any different group, not just foreigners.
Opposites
Word family
- xenophobe noun
- A person who dislikes or fears foreigners.
- xenophobic adjective
- Showing fear or dislike of foreigners.
- xenophile noun
- A person who is attracted to foreign things.
- phobia noun
- An extreme fear of something.
Commonly confused: xenophobia or zenophobia?
xenophobia vs zenophobia
This is a common misspelling. The word begins with xeno-, from the Greek for stranger, and is not related to Zen.
Practice
A politician who blames all of a country's problems on foreigners is most likely encouraging ___.
Choose one answer.
Xenophobia is fear or hatred of foreigners. The other words describe unrelated attitudes.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “xenophobia”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.