The word alien is also commonly used as a noun to refer to a being from another planet, sometimes called an extraterrestrial or a space alien. The word foreign can be used in the same way. There are other common uses of the word alien that are not considered offensive, but that are also based on the idea of something being unfamiliar or from an entirely different place.Īlien can be used as an adjective to describe something as entirely unfamiliar, as in It was the first time he had returned in many years, and the place now seemed alien to him. Relatedly, many object to the word illegal in illegal alien and illegal immigrant due to its implication that a person’s very existence can be illegal. General and legal use of these terms has decreased in recent years, but they are still in use in many cases.
This sense of alien is found in legal terms like resident alien and illegal alien. Such use is typically attributed to xenophobia, racism, and anti-immigrant stances. Historically, the word alien has been used in a way that is now often considered disparaging and offensive: to refer to a person who was born in one country and now lives in another country without having become a citizen.Īlien and its more general synonym foreigner are now often considered disparaging and offensive due to being used in a way that’s intended to otherize a person-mark them as different and unwelcome.
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