noun
stranger
Someone not known to a person or not familiar with a place.
A stranger at the bus stop asks me for directions.
Etymology
Strange means foreign or unfamiliar. The person noun identifies someone outside one’s acquaintance or unfamiliar with the local setting.
More examples
- Please don't open the door to strangers.
- I'm a stranger here, so I don't know the streets.
- She introduces herself so we won't be strangers anymore.
Forms
stranger · strangers
strange adjective — Unfamiliar, unusual, or difficult to explain.
Similar words
- newcomer
- Someone recently arrived, not necessarily unknown to the speaker.
- outsider
- Someone outside a group, even if personally known.