What does stranger mean?
“Stranger” most commonly names a person whom one does not know: someone encountered unexpectedly at a door, on a journey, or in a community where they are unfamiliar. The word can also describe a person who is new to a place, activity, group, or subject, as in “a stranger to the area” or “a stranger to classical music.” Its connotation is usually neutral, though the phrase “stranger danger” gives the noun a more uneasy social association. In expressions such as “stranger things,” “stranger” can refer broadly to what is unusual, mysterious, or beyond ordinary experience. Although “stranger” remains a familiar everyday word, its older use as the comparative of “strange” is now largely restricted to established phrases. The word is useful because it distinguishes not merely an unusual thing, but a person or subject that is outside one’s acquaintance or knowledge.
A person whom one does not know or is not acquainted with; also, a person unfamiliar with a particular place, group, activity, or subject.
"She spoke to every stranger she met during her first week in the city."
The noun is common in both formal and informal English. “A stranger to” can indicate unfamiliarity with a subject or activity rather than merely an unknown person.
Archaic: comparative of “strange,” meaning more strange, unusual, or extraordinary.
"The situation became stranger as the evening went on."
This use is now uncommon outside established expressions such as “stranger than fiction.”
The regular plural is “strangers,” used for multiple people who are unknown or unfamiliar to someone.
"Strangers in the neighborhood often greeted one another in the lift."
A person can be entirely familiar to you and still be a stranger to a subject, place, or way of life.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does stranger come from?
“Stranger” comes through Old French estranger from Latin extraneus, a word associated with being outside, foreign, or not belonging. The modern English sense of an unknown or unacquainted person developed from the older idea of someone foreign or outside one’s familiar circle. The related words “estranged” and “estrangement” preserve the sense of separation or alienation, while “extraneous” retains the Latin idea of being outside something relevant.
How stranger is actually used
As a noun, “stranger” is generally neutral and can sound formal or impersonal in notices and announcements. The adjective “stranger,” meaning “more strange,” is archaic and survives mainly in fixed expressions such as “stranger than fiction.”
Easily confused with stranger
A stranger is a person or thing that is unfamiliar or unknown, whereas strange means unusual, odd, or outside ordinary experience.