otherness

noun

oth·​er·​ness ˈə-t͟hər-nəs 

1

: the quality or state of being other or different

2

: something that is other or different

Synonyms

• contrast
• difference
• disagreement
• discrepancy
• disparateness
• disparity
• dissimilarity
• dissimilitude
• distance
• distinction
• distinctiveness
• distinctness
• diverseness
• diversity
• unlikeness

Examples of otherness in a Sentence

As an American growing up in Africa, I always felt a sense of otherness.

the otherness of their small religious community

Recent Examples on the Web

As an immigrant teen trying to assimilate when his family moved to New York, Stan badly wanted to fit in, but was deeply conscious of his ‘otherness’. —Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 6 Jan. 2025

Here, centering otherness is about intentionally dissolving the idea of the imaginary center, which can no longer hold. —Sara Raza, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2024

For some, holiness has an otherness quality set apart from all (or most) of humanity. —Walt Shelton, Austin American-Statesman, 14 Aug. 2024

Given how crucial football is to Saudi Arabia’s ‘Vision 2030 strategy’, moving there would jeopardise his sense of ‘otherness’ and become an extension of the state’s machinery. —Simon Hughes, The Athletic, 20 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1587, in the meaning defined at sense 1