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outlander

outlander

7 8.8
A person from another country who is not part of the local community
  • noun
  • /ˈaʊtˌlændər/
translation icon : forastero
  • An outlander visiting our city may find it difficult to understand the local customs.

Examples

  • Wulfric, you take the Outlander.

  • You won this small toss, outlander, but you won't win the race!

  • No outlander has ever won.

  • Opposition to any such outlander marriage.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Come on, outlander!

  • "The foreigners, my friend, the outlanders."

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Not for the first time, she wondered how this village Rousseau figured her role among the outlanders.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Arriving at Harvard in 1906, he discovered, as many outlanders have done, that being somebody in Portland, Oregon, didn't mean much in East Coast society.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Helsse alighted, and with a thoughtful glance along the facade of the palace, conducted the three outlanders through the main portal and into the great foyer.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The festival was open to everyone, but the outlander felt a bit out of place.

Synonyms

outsider
vsoutlander
283 4.1

A person who is not accepted by a group or community

focuses on foreign origin and not belonging to the local nation
alien
vsoutlander
  • Formal
201 3.3

A person from another country who is not a citizen where they live

is social rather than legal stressing not belonging to the nation
foreigner
vsoutlander
170 2.5

A person from a different country who is not a citizen

is broader also stressing not belonging to the local community
expatriate
vsoutlander
19 6.2

A person who lives in a country that is not their own

is the more general term covering foreign origin or nonmembership
expat
vsoutlander
16 5.5

A person who lives in another country by choice

is any foreign person not only those who live abroad by choice
outland
vsoutlander
  • Archaic
9.9

A person from another land who is not local

is the modern general term for a foreign person not belonging locally

Antonyms

197 1.2

A person who lives in a particular area or community

How Foreign

alien
  • Formal
201 3.3
outlander
7 8.8
foreigner
170 2.5
visitor
908 1.0
local
197 1.2

Surface Forms

outlander singular
outlanders plural

Morphology

outlander = outland (semi-transparent) = out + land + er

The word is formed transparently from 'outland' plus '-er', but 'outland' is old-fashioned or uncommon for many learners.

Etymology

Outlander comes from the parts out- ('outside') and land ('country' or 'ground'), so it literally means someone from 'outside the land'. That's why outlander is used for a foreigner or an outsider who does not belong to the local community.