xenophobe

noun

xe·​no·​phobe ˈze-nə-ˌfōb  ˈzē- 

: one unduly fearful of what is foreign and especially of people of foreign origin

xenophobic

ˌze-nə-ˈfō-bik  ˌzē- 

adjective

xenophobically

ˌze-nə-ˈfō-bi-k(ə-)lē 

ˌzē-

adverb

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Xenophobe Has Greek Roots

Xenophobe is partly based on the Greek noun xenos, meaning "stranger, guest, foreigner". Unlike other phobias, xenophobia isn't really considered an abnormal condition; instead, it's generally thought of as just serious narrow-mindedness, the kind of thinking that goes along with racism and extreme patriotism. In times of war, a government will often actually try to turn all its citizens into xenophobes.

Examples of xenophobe in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the years leading up to the Civil War, the city was beginning to host ever more waves of Irish immigrants, whom xenophobes like Poole targeted. —Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 11 Oct. 2024

His heroic act definitely serves as a great response to the xenophobes who try to portray all migrants as criminals. —Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 1 Aug. 2024

Someone has to stand up for minority rights and immigrants against xenophobes. —Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 22 June 2024

Perhaps no character in American cinema has proved more relevant to our times than Taxi Driver’s Travis Bickle, who seems to contain within him the demonic energies of all our incels and xenophobes and mass shooters and January 6 insurrectionists combined. —Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

xenophobe

noun

xe·​no·​phobe ˈzen-ə-ˌfōb  ˈzēn- 

: a person unduly fearful of what is foreign and especially of people of foreign origin

xenophobic

ˌzen-ə-ˈfō-bik  ˌzēn- 

adjective