culture shock

noun

1. a state of bewilderment and distress experienced by an individual who is suddenly exposed to a new, strange, or foreign social and cultural environment.

culture shock

noun

1. sociol the feelings of isolation, rejection, etc, experienced when one culture is brought into sudden contact with another, as when a primitive tribe is confronted by modern civilization

Other Word Forms

• culture-shocked adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of culture shock¹

First recorded in 1955–60

Idioms and Phrases

A state of confusion and anxiety experienced by someone upon encountering an alien environment. For example, It's not just jet lag—it's the culture shock of being in a new country. This term was first used by social scientists to describe, for example, the experience of a person moving from the country to a big city. It is now used more loosely, as in the example. [Late 1930s]

Example Sentences

“I think it was a bit of a culture shock for me… I remember thinking how the people in Virginia just talked different.”

From Los Angeles Times

You grew up in South L.A. and Harbor City, and then you went to college in UC Santa Barbara; definitely a culture shock in terms of diversity.

From Los Angeles Times

When I was 14 years old, I went there for two months to visit relatives and it was a complete culture shock.

From Los Angeles Times

Where they live during this time is causing tensions between the council and parents - and it can also come as a culture shock to the young islanders.

From BBC

Life in London is culture shock for Coralie after growing up in Australia.

From Los Angeles Times