Her exotic perfume has a subtle scent.
Source: tatoeba (309118)
Exotic
/ɪɡˈzɒtɪk/
Synonyms for "exotic" (200 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (40)
alienalluringamphibianannualapartappealingappetizingasunderat a distanceattractiveawaybarbarianbarbaricbarbarousbeguilingbellybewitchingbiennialbizarreblandishing
Show 14 more words
Noun(2 words)
barbarian customscalypso
Strong matches (60)
Adjective(9 words)
curioethnic outsiderextraordinaryforeignforeign artforeign bureauforeign culture topicforeign legal entityforeign object
Noun(1 words)
foreign student
Related words (100)
incomparableindependentinsularintenseinterestingintriguingintrusiveinvitingirrelativeirresistibleisolatedlong distancelong rangelong-distancelong-rangemesmericmouth wateringmouth-wateringmysteriousnaturalized
Show 64 more words
nudeoddotheroutlandoutlandishoutsideoverseaspeculiarperennialpiquantplantprepossessingprovocativeprovoquantqueerravishingrechercheremarkableremoteremovedrichrich-coloredromanesqueromanticseducingseductiveseedlingsegregateseparateseparatedsingularsirensirenicspellbindingspellfulstrangestripteasetakingtantalizingteasingtemptingticklingtitillatingtitillativetoplesstriennialulteriorunaffiliatedunalliedunassociatedunconnectedunearthlyunfamiliaruniqueunrelatableunrelatedunusualvegetablevividweedweirdwinningwinsomewitching
Verb(1 words)
Noun(2 words)
invasive speciesmore nonnative
Adverb(1 words)
more alien
Adjective(12 words)
non-italiannonnativenoveltyorientalrarerecherchéremarkablestrikingtropical climatetropical island nationunfamiliarunusual
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: alien, alien, alien environment, alien lands, alluring.
- Sentence evidence is available for exotic, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "exotic".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "exotic"
Keep "exotic" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "exotic" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "exotic", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "exotic" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
6 entriesMore specific
7 entriesexotic animalexotic cuisineexotic fruitexotic plantornamental artifactrare specimentropical plant
Collocations
10 entriesexotic animalexotic artifactexotic cuisineexotic cultureexotic fruitexotic importexotic localeexotic marketexotic plantexotic specimen
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
6 entriessimilar
3 entriesTranslations
54 translations across 41 languages.
Ancient Greek
1 entries- ἔξεδρος adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Arabic
1 entries- مجلوب adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Bulgarian
1 entries- екзотичен adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Catalan
1 entries- exòtic adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Chinese Mandarin
3 entries- 外來的 /外来的 adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
- 有異國情調 /有异国情调 adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
- 異國的 /异国的 adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Czech
2 entries- cizokrajný adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
- exotický adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Danish
1 entries- eksotisk adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Dutch
1 entries- exotisch adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Esperanto
2 entries- ekzota adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
- ekzotika adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Finnish
1 entries- eksoottinen adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
French
1 entries- exotique adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Galician
1 entries- exótico adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
German
1 entries- exotisch adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Greek
1 entries- εξωτικός adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Hungarian
1 entries- egzotikus adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Ido
1 entries- exotika adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Indonesian
1 entries- eksotis adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Irish
2 entries- andúchasach adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
- coimhthíoch adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Italian
1 entries- esotico adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Japanese
1 entries- エキゾチック adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Korean
2 entries- 이국적인 adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
- 이국풍의 adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Latin
1 entries- peregrinus adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Latvian
1 entries- eksotisks adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Lithuanian
1 entries- egzotiškas adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Manx
1 entries- andooghyssagh adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Māori
2 entries- rāwaho adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
- tauhou adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- eksotisk adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Norwegian Nynorsk
1 entries- eksotisk adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Occitan
1 entries- exotic adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Persian
2 entries- اگزوتیک adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
- غریب adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Polish
1 entries- egzotyczny adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Portuguese
1 entries- exótico adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Romanian
1 entries- exotic adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Russian
2 entries- экзоти́ческий adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
- экзоти́чный adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Scottish Gaelic
3 entries- allmharach adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
- coimheach adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
- eilthireach adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Serbo-Croatian
2 entries- egzòtičan adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
- егзо̀тичан adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Spanish
1 entries- exótico adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Swedish
1 entries- exotisk adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Tagalog
2 entries- eksotiko adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
- kakaiba adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Ukrainian
1 entries- екзоти́чний adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Vietnamese
1 entries- kì lạ adj (foreign, with the connotation of excitingly foreign)
Sample sentences
17 total sentences available.
In woodworking, we classify wood as hardwood, softwood or exotic wood.
Source: tatoeba (329641)
A bass drum, a snare drum, and cymbals were once all a composer needed to make a work sound exotic.
Source: tatoeba (814455)
His uncle worked as a pipe fitter for 36 years, exposing him to lead, exotic gases, and other interesting chemicals.
Source: tatoeba (873912)
Showing 4 of 17 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "exotic"?
Closest matches include alien, alien, alien environment, alien lands, alluring.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "exotic"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.