What does "stranger" mean?
A person whom one does not know; a person who is neither a friend nor an acquaintance.
Stranger
/ˈstɹeɪnd͡ʒə(ɹ)/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person whom one does not know; a person who is neither a friend nor an acquaintance.
- Grammar: stranger is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: alien, alien, apartheid, auslander.
- Useful contrasts: dearest, icelandic félagi, intimate friend.
- Usage evidence: Poverty is a stranger to industry.
How to use "stranger"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "stranger" 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 "stranger" 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 "stranger" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "stranger" 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 "stranger" is acting as adj, 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 "alien" 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 "stranger", 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 whom one does not know; a person who is neither a friend nor an acquaintance.
"That gentleman is a stranger to me."
- 2 anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found wordnet
- 3 An outsider or foreigner.
"I am a most poor woman and a stranger, / Born out of your dominions."
- 4 an individual that one is not acquainted with wordnet
- 5 One not admitted to communion or fellowship.
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 A newcomer.
"[…] St. Bede's at this period of its history was perhaps the poorest and most miserable parish in the East End of London. Close-packed, crushed by the buttressed height of the railway viaduct, rendered airless by huge walls of factories, it at once banished lively interest from a stranger's mind and left only a dull oppression of the spirit."
- 7 Used ironically to refer to a person who the speaker knows. humorous
"Hello, stranger!"
- 8 One not belonging to the family or household; a guest; a visitor. obsolete
"To honour and receive / Our heavenly stranger."
- 9 One not privy or party to an act, contract, or title; a mere intruder or intermeddler; one who interferes without right.
"Actual possession of land gives a good title against a stranger having no title."
- 10 A superstitious premonition of the coming of a visitor by a bit of stalk in a cup of tea, the guttering of a candle, etc. obsolete
Verb
- 1 To estrange; to alienate. obsolete, transitive
"Dowered with our curse, and strangered with our oath"
Adjective
- 1 comparative form of strange: more strange comparative, form-of
"Truth is stranger than fiction."
Antonyms
Example
"Poverty is a stranger to industry."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "stranger"?
Common synonyms include: alien, alien, apartheid, auslander, barbarian, beginner.
How do you use "stranger" in a sentence?
Poverty is a stranger to industry.
How do you pronounce "stranger"?
Pronounced /ˈstɹeɪnd͡ʒə(ɹ)/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Etymology 2
From Middle English straunger, from Old French estrangier (“foreign, alien”), from estrange, from Latin extraneus (“foreign, external”) (whence also English estrange), from extra (“outside of”). Cognate with French étranger (“foreigner, stranger”) and Spanish extranjero (“foreigner”). Displaced native Old English fremde (literally “strange or unfamiliar person”).