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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
Navigating a new career and a professional environment Transitioning from an academic environment to the workplace is a culture shock for many grads.
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Food Drink Life, Hartford Courant, 28 May 2024
First, Sheriff Joy (Tamara Podemski) literally walked into the past to 1886 and spent four years living with a Native tribe this season, something that has left her with culture shock upon returning to the present.
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Hunter Ingram, Variety, 17 May 2024
Marina is Jessica’s cousin who recently moved to Roku City and is experiencing some culture shock.
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Dennard Dayle, The New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2024
The upshot for job-seeking coders is confusion, culture shock, and hours of work done for free.
—
Lauren Goode, WIRED, 22 Feb. 2024
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'culture shock.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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 7 Jul. 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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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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