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

The culture shock is comprehensible given Porsche’s priority on function over form. —Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 23 Nov. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1932, in the meaning defined above

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