foreign
- 01 A2 Elementary
adj.from a country that is not your own.
adj.originating from, characteristic of, or belonging to a nation other than one's own.
Simple“I love trying foreign food when I travel to new places.”
In context“The government is implementing new policies to attract foreign investment into the renewable energy sector.”
PitfallHe is a foreign in this country. He is a foreigner in this country.Use 'foreign' as an adjective to describe things; use 'foreigner' as a noun to describe a person.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.feeling strange, unusual, or not natural to a person or situation.
adj.not characteristic of or naturally belonging to a particular person, system, or environment.
Simple“The idea of working in a quiet office was foreign to him after years of construction work.”
In context“The concept of individual land ownership was entirely foreign to the indigenous population's communal way of life.”
UsageOften used with the preposition 'to'.
Synonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
adj.describes something that does not belong inside a body or a system.
adj.referring to a substance or object that is not native to a biological organism or mechanical system.
Simple“The doctor had to remove a foreign object from the child's ear.”
In context“The immune system is designed to identify and attack foreign proteins that enter the bloodstream.”
SynonymsexternalextrinsicAntonyms - 04 C1 Advanced
adj.coming from a different state or province, even in the same country.
adj.originating from a different legal jurisdiction, such as a different state within a federal union.
Simple“The company was considered a foreign corporation because it was based in Delaware.”
In context“The court had to determine whether it had authority over the foreign entity under the state's long-arm statute.”
UsageCommonly used in US law to describe corporations registered in a different state.
Synonymsout of stateAntonyms - 05 C2 Proficiency
Usage foreign ministry · foreign minister · foreign nationals
From Middle English foreyn, forein, from Old French forain, from Vulgar Latin *forānus (“outsider, outlander”), from Latin forās (“outside, outdoors”) or forīs (“outside, outdoors”). Displaced native Old English elþēodiġ (“foreign”) and now-dialectal English fremd, from Old English fremde (“strange, foreign”). The silent -g- added perhaps by analogy with reign (compare also sovereign which was similarly altered).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.