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
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.
The same General Electric that rose to giant status decades ago through aggressive acquisitions later had to divest from many of those brands, for several reasons, including culture shock. Ashutosh Labroo, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025 In terms of culture shock, Greg Cronin is in for a doozy, going from the sunshine, beaches and traffic of Southern California to the relatively quiet winter weather and flat landscape of Des Moines, Iowa. Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 23 June 2025 So, stepping into the corporate world was a culture shock. Kelly Stine, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025 The new media underground would come as a culture shock to the generation of Cronkites and Edward R. Murrows and their female counterparts – Walters, Connie Chung, Diane Sawyer, Oprah Winfrey. Peter Bart, Deadline, 26 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for culture shock

Word History

First Known Use

1932, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of culture shock was in 1932

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Cite this Entry

“Culture shock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture%20shock. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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