anti-foreigner

adjective

an·​ti-for·​eign·​er ˌan-tē-ˈfȯr-ə-nər How to pronounce anti-foreigner (audio)
-ˈfär-, 
ˌan-tī-
: opposed to or hostile toward foreigners : anti-foreign
anti-foreigner sentiments

Examples of anti-foreigner in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Reports of unruly visitor behavior have sparked public complaints and a rise in anti-foreigner sentiment that right-wing politicians have been quick to capitalize on. — Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025 And a populist far-right party, Sanseito, won 14 seats in the Upper House elections—up from one in 2022—on an anti-foreigner platform. — Mireya Solís, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2025 But the rise of the far-right Vox party is slowly changing the discourse on immigration in Spanish society, and a housing crisis has only heightened anti-foreigner sentiment. — Colette Davidson, Christian Science Monitor, 23 Sep. 2025 The administration promptly disobeyed a federal court’s order to halt deportation flights under a paranoid anti-foreigner law enacted in 1798. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for anti-foreigner

Word History

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of anti-foreigner was in 1841

Rhymes for anti-foreigner

See All Rhymes for anti-foreigner

Browse Nearby Words

anti-foreign
anti-foreigner
antiforeignism
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Anti-foreigner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anti-foreigner. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All