What does "alien" mean?
A person, animal, plant, or other thing which is from outside the family, group, organization, or territory under consideration.
Alien
/ˈeɪ.li.ən/ adj, name, noun, verb
adj, name, noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person, animal, plant, or other thing which is from outside the family, group, organization, or territory under consideration.
- Grammar: alien is listed as adj, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: foreigner, extraterrestrial, noncitizen, outlander.
- Useful contrasts: endemic, athenian statesman, bahamian.
- Usage evidence: An Englishman is an alien in the United States.
How to use "alien"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "alien" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "alien" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "alien" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "alien" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "alien" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "foreigner" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "alien", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person, animal, plant, or other thing which is from outside the family, group, organization, or territory under consideration.
"An animated film intended to inform travellers about the dangers that alien species present to Arctic ecosystems is being released today. The message is that it is important to ensure that nobody accidentally brings alien species with them as stowaways in their clothing, baggage or equipment."
- 2 a form of life assumed to exist outside the Earth or its atmosphere wordnet
- 3 A citizen or national of another sovereign state.
"An alien born may purchase lands, or other estates: but not for his own use; for the king is thereupon entitled to them."
- 4 a person who comes from a foreign country; someone who does not owe allegiance to your country wordnet
- 5 A mischievous or suspicious foreigner. derogatory, sometimes
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found wordnet
- 7 Any life form of extraterrestrial or extradimensional origin.
"You might not have much use for me. You spend too much time with the damn aliens, pretending your time in the gangs back on Earth never happened. I know you weren't happy when I found you at the Citadel a couple years back. But I'm glad you're on this. I hope you find whoever took my people on Freedom's Progress and kick their scaly asses. I'm glad it's a human finding these bastards."
- 8 One excluded from certain privileges; one alienated or estranged.
"[…]aliens from the common wealth of Iſrael[…]"
Verb
- 1 To estrange; to alienate. transitive
- 2 transfer property or ownership wordnet
- 3 To transfer the ownership of something.
Adjective
- 1 Not belonging to the same country, land, or government, or to the citizens or subjects thereof; foreign.
"alien subjects, enemies, property, or shores"
- 2 Very unfamiliar, strange, or removed.
"principles alien to our religion"
- 3 Pertaining to extraterrestrial life; typical of an extraterrestrial creature.
"It had a peculiar alien tallness, a peculiar alien flattened head, peculiar slitty little alien eyes[.]"
Adjective
- 1 being or from or characteristic of another place or part of the world wordnet
- 2 not contained in or deriving from the essential nature of something wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 Alternative form of Alian. alt-of, alternative
"Premier Chiang Ching-kuo traveled to Alien village in Kaohsiung county May 23 to inspect the Chung-chou No. 3 oilwell prospect of Chinese Petroleum Corporation."
Antonyms
Example
"An Englishman is an alien in the United States."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "alien"?
Common synonyms include: foreigner, extraterrestrial, noncitizen, outlander, stranger, abalienate.
How do you use "alien" in a sentence?
An Englishman is an alien in the United States.
How do you pronounce "alien"?
Pronounced /ˈeɪ.li.ən/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English alien, a borrowing from Old French alien, aliene, from Latin aliēnus (“belonging to someone else”, later “exotic, foreign”), from Latin alius (“other”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂élyos. Related to English else.
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Mandarin 阿蓮 (Ālián) Wade–Giles romanization: A¹-lien².