Words / B2

ig-ZOT-ik/ɪɡˈzɒtɪk/

Exotic means unusual and interesting because it seems foreign: exotic species; exotic fruit. Foreign is neutral; alien is for species in ecology. Native is an opposite for wildlife. Greenhouse trials of exotic species. Do not call a supermarket banana exotic in 2020s Britain unless you are being ironic.

Meaning

Unusual and interesting because it comes from a distant place.

Examples

• “The greenhouse trial used exotic species not listed as native.”
• “An exotic setting in the novel is not the same as accurate geography, which is a literature point.”

Good to know

exotic species / food / location. Neutral: foreign. Ecology opposite: native. Can sound dated or othering — use with care in essays. Travel writing vs science.

Near in meaning

foreign

New