alien
alien — adjective
1. connected with living things or objects imagined to come from space rather than
connected with living things or objects imagined to come from space rather than Earth.
The movie shows an alien ship above the desert at sunrise.
before noun: alien ship
Scientists checked the rock for alien life after the Mars mission.
collocation: alien life
Children drew alien animals with three eyes and silver tails.
An alien signal crackled through the radio during the final scene.
- alien life
- alien ship
- alien signal
- alien world
- extraterrestrial
more formal or scientific
- space
informal, usually in phrases like 'space creature' or 'space life'
- terrestrial
formal word for coming from Earth
- earthly
less technical; connected with Earth or ordinary human life
Grammar Patterns
alien + life / ship / signal
Usage Note
Usually before a noun: alien life, alien ship, alien world. Distinguish from sense 3, which is about other countries or groups on Earth, not beings from space.
2. so unlike what you know or expect that it feels strange and hard to recognize as
so unlike what you know or expect that it feels strange and hard to recognize as normal.
After ten years away, her own bedroom felt alien and cold.
predicative: feel + alien
The machine made an alien sound that scared the dog.
before noun: alien sound
The city children found the village's outdoor toilet and wood stove alien.
After months in a dark mine, the bright hospital room looked alien.
- feel alien
- look alien
- sound alien
- an alien feeling
- strange
broad everyday word for something unusual
- unfamiliar
milder and often neutral; simply not known yet
- odd
informal; suggests small details that seem wrong or surprising
Grammar Patterns
feel / seem / look / sound + alien
Usage Note
Often follows linking verbs such as feel, seem, look, or sound. Distinguish from sense 4: this sense is about unfamiliar appearance or feeling, not about being against someone's nature or values.
3. coming from outside the country, culture, or community being talked about; forei
coming from outside the country, culture, or community being talked about; foreign.
Villagers resisted the taxes of an alien government.
formal collocation: alien government
The novel shows a young prince growing up under alien rule after the invasion.
formal collocation: alien rule
Officials tracked alien ships entering the river port at dawn.
Investigators found alien money in envelopes at Councilor Wu's campaign office.
- alien government
- alien rule
- alien power
- alien money
Grammar Patterns
alien + government / rule / money
Usage Note
Mostly formal or historical in this sense, especially with words like government, rule, power, land, or money. Distinguish from noun 2: here alien describes something as foreign; it does not name a person.
4. so different from a person's nature, values, or usual way of life that it does n
so different from a person's nature, values, or usual way of life that it does not fit with them.
Violence is alien to the team values Coach Lin writes on the wall.
pattern: alien to + values
Long silences are alien to the fast, noisy style of this newsroom.
pattern: alien to + style
Cheating is alien to Priya's careful, honest way of working.
Cold calls at dinner time seem alien to our small family shop.
- alien to her nature
- alien to our values
- alien to the system
- alien to reason
- incompatible
direct and neutral; often used in formal writing
- contrary
stronger; emphasizes opposition to a principle or rule
- foreign to
close in meaning and often takes the same pattern with 'to'
- compatible
able to exist or work well together
- natural
fitting someone's usual character or way
- suited
appropriate for a person, place, or purpose
Grammar Patterns
alien to + [noun]
Usage Note
Usually followed by 'to'. The subject is often an action, quality, or idea, and the complement names a person, nature, value, or system. Distinguish from sense 2: sense 2 means unfamiliar, while this sense means fundamentally not fitting.
alien — noun
1. a living being imagined or believed to come from space rather than from Earth.
a living being imagined or believed to come from space rather than from Earth.
In the story, one alien teaches the children a secret song.
singular count noun: an alien
An alien landed beside the farm and waved at Rosa.
The cartoon alien fixed the broken robot with a blue tool.
Reporters asked whether the strange lights came from an alien.
- friendly alien
- alien visitor
- alien invasion
- meet an alien
- extraterrestrial
formal or scientific
- space creature
informal and more picture-based
- being from another world
longer descriptive phrase rather than a fixed single-word synonym
Grammar Patterns
an alien
alien from space
Usage Note
Common in science fiction, films, and conversations about life beyond Earth. Distinguish from noun 2, which is a formal word for a person without citizenship in a country.
2. a person living in a country where they do not hold citizenship, especially in l
a person living in a country where they do not hold citizenship, especially in laws and official documents.
The form asks whether the applicant is a citizen or an alien.
official/legal use: citizen or alien
The record listed Mei as an alien before she gained citizenship.
Under that law, an alien needed a stamped permit before voting.
In court, the judge ruled that the alien could meet a lawyer.
- citizen or alien
- alien status
- alien registration
- resident alien
- non-citizen
neutral modern term used in policy and news writing
- foreign national
formal and official; often used in government or legal contexts
- immigrant
not always the same; it focuses on moving into a country, not simply lacking citizenship
Grammar Patterns
citizen or alien
an alien under the law
Usage Note
Common in laws, government forms, and older official writing; in everyday speech, more specific terms like 'non-citizen', 'foreign national', or 'immigrant' are often preferred because 'alien' can sound impersonal when used about people.
Common Mistakes
3. someone outside a place, group, or situation, or someone who feels separate from
someone outside a place, group, or situation, or someone who feels separate from it.
At the reunion, Omar felt like an alien after twenty years away.
common pattern: feel like an alien
At lunch, new students often feel like aliens at a table of old friends.
The tourist moved like an alien among neighbors who knew each other.
Her rich city accent made Sara seem like an alien there.
- feel like an alien
- seem like an alien
- an alien there
- treat someone like an alien
Grammar Patterns
feel like an alien
seem like an alien
Usage Note
Often used with 'feel like', 'seem like', or 'be treated as'. Distinguish from noun 2: this sense is emotional or social, not a legal label.
alien — verb
1. to make someone feel less close, less welcome, or less willing to support a pers
to make someone feel less close, less welcome, or less willing to support a person, group, or idea.
Harsh benching rules can alien young players from the team.
pattern: alien + person from + group
A rude email reply can alien customers waiting for a refund.
pattern: alien + person
The mayor's jokes alien many parents from the school board.
Years of silence can alien brothers after a fight over their father's farm.
- alien voters from
- alien children from
- alien customers
- alien supporters from
Grammar Patterns
alien + person
alien + person from + group
Usage Note
Rare in modern English and far less common than 'alienate'. When a second complement is given, it is usually introduced by 'from' to show the person or group someone turns away from.
Common Mistakes
2. to pass legal ownership of land, shares, or other property to another person or
to pass legal ownership of land, shares, or other property to another person or organization.
The owner could not alien the land without family consent.
legal pattern: alien + land
Under the trust, Elena may alien her shares only to close relatives.
legal pattern: alien + property to + person
The riverfront lot cannot be aliened until Judge Morales signs the order.
passive legal form: be aliened
He signed a deed to alien the house to his daughter.
- alien land
- alien property
- alien shares
- alien the estate
Grammar Patterns
alien + property
alien + property to + person
be aliened without + noun
Usage Note
Restricted to legal writing. The object is usually property, land, shares, rights, or an estate; outside legal contexts, ordinary English normally uses 'sell' or 'transfer' instead.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- alienateverbC2
- alienationnounC2
Synonym discussion
Sense: adjective/2
For adjective sense 2, alien suggests a stronger feeling of distance than strange or unfamiliar. Something alien can seem as if it belongs outside your normal world, not just outside your experience. Strange is the broad everyday word for anything unusual. Unfamiliar is milder and often neutral: you simply have not met it before. Foreign usually points to another country, language, or culture, so it fits adjective sense 3 more naturally than sense 2. Odd is more informal and often suggests small details that seem slightly wrong. An alien sound in an empty house feels eerie and hard to place; unfamiliar signs in a train station simply show that you do not know the system yet.
Etymology
English took alien from Old French and Latin forms built on Latin alienus, meaning 'belonging to another' or 'someone else's'. That Latin adjective comes from alius, meaning 'other'. From that base, English developed the ideas of something foreign, strange, or from outside one's own world. The verb sense is tied to the related Latin verb alienare, which meant to make something another person's property or to make people feel separated, and that history explains why legal English still uses alien for property transfer while ordinary modern English more often uses alienate for pushing people away.