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culture shock
noun
: a sense of confusion and uncertainty sometimes with feelings of anxiety that may affect people exposed to an alien culture or environment without adequate preparation
Examples of culture shock in a Sentence
Foreign students often experience culture shock when they first come to the U.S.
Moving to the city was a huge culture shock for him.
Recent Examples on the Web
But for those who followed its early career as America’s most popular indie-rock band in the ’80s, R.E.M.’s popularity came as something of a culture shock, with their cult heroes now being piped into suburban malls and playing in rotation on classic rock radio stations.
—Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
Anyone expecting Morocco to be a complete culture shock will likely be surprised that there is so much familiar about Tangier thanks to the many writers and artists, from Eugène Delacroix and Henri Matisse to the Rolling Stones, whose imaginations have been captured by the city.
—Elle Benson Easton, Travel + Leisure, 2 Nov. 2024
Traveling with a band brought its own culture shock.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2024
Byers found it a bit of a culture shock on his first day.
—Jack McCullough, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1932, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near culture shock
Cite this Entry
“Culture shock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture%20shock. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.
Medical Definition
culture shock
noun
: a sense of confusion and uncertainty sometimes with feelings of anxiety that may affect people exposed to an alien culture or environment without adequate preparation
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