Definition

1. Noun:
   • An individual that one is not acquainted with: A person whom one does not know or has not met before.
   • Anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found: A person who is in a place, group, or situation where they are unfamiliar or not a regular member.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • She was warned not to talk to strangers. (She was advised not to converse with people she does not know.)
  • As a stranger in the city, he had to ask for directions. (Being unfamiliar with the city, he needed to request guidance.)
  • He felt like a stranger at the family reunion. (He felt out of place or unfamiliar among his relatives.)

Advanced Usage

• "A stranger to something": Unfamiliar with or inexperienced in a particular feeling, situation, or activity.

  • She is a stranger to failure. (She has no experience with failing.)
  • He is no stranger to hard work. (He is very familiar with and accustomed to difficult labor.)

• "Make a stranger of someone": To treat someone as if they are unfamiliar or distant, often after a change in relationship.

  • After the argument, they made strangers of each other. (They began treating each other with cold unfamiliarity.)

Variants and Related Words

• Strange (adj): Unusual, surprising, or unfamiliar.
  • It was a strange feeling to be back.
• Strangeness (n): The quality or state of being strange or unfamiliar.
  • The strangeness of the situation made her uneasy.

Synonyms

• Unknown person: An individual whose identity is not known.
• Outsider: A person who does not belong to a particular group.
• Newcomer: A person who has recently arrived in a place.

Related Phrases

• Perfect stranger: A person one does not know at all.
  • I would never get in a car with a perfect stranger.
• Stranger things have happened: Used to suggest that even unlikely events are possible.
  • I know it seems impossible, but stranger things have happened.

Idioms

• Stranger in a strange land: A person who is in a completely unfamiliar environment or culture.
  • Moving to a new country, he felt like a stranger in a strange land.
• Be no stranger to: To be very familiar with or accustomed to something.
  • As a surgeon, she is no stranger to high-pressure situations.

Noun

1. an individual that one is not acquainted with
2. anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found