Words / B2

AYL-ee-uh-n/ˈeɪliən/

Alien as an adjective means very different from what you know; as a noun, a being from another world, or a foreigner in legal English: an alien idea; an alien species; illegal alien (US legal phrasing — handle with care). Foreign and unfamiliar are close twins; extraterrestrial is the space sense. An alien species in the ecology case is non-native. Mix-up: alien vs align; alienate (to make unfriendly). Do not write UFO unless the source says so.

Meaning

Very different from what you know; also (noun) a being from another world, or a foreigner in legal English.

Examples

• “An alien species in the ecology case is non-native; do not write UFO unless the source says so.”
• “The custom felt alien to the narrator, which is the “unfamiliar” sense.”

Good to know

an alien idea / species / landscape; an alien (noun). Close: foreign / unfamiliar. Space: extraterrestrial. Trap: align / alienate. Biology, literature, and law. Unfamiliar, non-native, or a being from another world — specify.

Near in meaning

foreign, unfamiliar, extraterrestrial

New