culture shock

noun

: a sense of confusion and uncertainty sometimes with feelings of anxiety that may affect people exposed to an alien culture or environment without adequate preparation

Examples of culture shock in a Sentence

Foreign students often experience culture shock when they first come to the U.S.

Moving to the city was a huge culture shock for him.

Recent Examples on the Web

On top of being able to perform at the highest levels in baseball, one of the biggest challenges for many Latin players is culture shock. —Maury Brown, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024

The duo learned to throat sing together 20 years ago, thanks to the help of other urban Inuit, while experiencing culture shock upon moving from Nunavut to Ottawa. —Kate Nelson, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Aug. 2024

So much of this show is built around the culture shock that Emily experiences as an American expat living in Paris. —Max Gao, Variety, 16 Aug. 2024

Those subtle culture shocks caused missteps and confusion in all facets of my life, from housekeeping to health care to shopping. —Theresa Conroy, Travel + Leisure, 14 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1932, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

culture shock

noun

: a sense of confusion and uncertainty sometimes with feelings of anxiety that may affect people exposed to an alien culture or environment without adequate preparation