Meanings
plural culture shocks
- countableuncountableanthropologyA state of anxious confusion experienced by someone exposed to an alien or unfamiliar environment.
Having grown up in rural Arkansas, I experienced tremendous culture shock on moving to Harlem.
1 more example
I went through another, reverse culture shock when I got back to Israel and the efort ^([sic]) required to change from cherished and catered-to visitor to an ordinary working woman kept me away from my typewriter jor ^([sic]) months.
1982 December 4, Ilana Weinstock, “Letters From My Aunt”, in Gay Community News, volume 10, number 20, page 4
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
From the earlier form cultural shock.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans kultuurskok
- kultuurskokstate of anxious confusion
Arabic صَدْمَة ثَقَافِيَّة
- صَدْمَة ثَقَافِيَّة (ṣadma ṯaqāfiyya)state of anxious confusion
Bulgarian култу́рен шо́к
- култу́рен шо́к (kultúren šók)state of anxious confusion
Chinese Mandarin 文化衝擊 /文化冲击, 文化震驚 /文化震惊
- 文化衝擊 /文化冲击 (wénhuà chōngjí)state of anxious confusion
- 文化震驚 /文化震惊 (wénhuà zhènjīng)state of anxious confusion
- 文化休克 (wénhuà xiūkè)state of anxious confusion
- 文化震撼 (wénhuà zhènhàn)state of anxious confusion
- 文化衝突 /文化冲突 (wénhuà chōngtū)state of anxious confusion
Czech kulturní šok
- kulturní šokstate of anxious confusion
Danish kulturchok
- kulturchokstate of anxious confusion
Dutch cultuurschok
- cultuurschokstate of anxious confusion
Esperanto kultura ŝoko
- kultura ŝokostate of anxious confusion
Finnish kulttuurishokki
- kulttuurishokkistate of anxious confusion
French choc des cultures, choc culturel
- choc des culturesstate of anxious confusion
- choc culturelstate of anxious confusion
German Kulturschock
- Kulturschockstate of anxious confusion
Hebrew הלם תרבות
- הלם תרבות (hélem tarbút)state of anxious confusion
Hungarian kulturális sokk, kultúrsokk
- kulturális sokkstate of anxious confusion
- kultúrsokkstate of anxious confusion
Indonesian gegar budaya, kejutan budaya asing
- gegar budayastate of anxious confusion
- kejutan budaya asingstate of anxious confusion
Italian choc culturale
- choc culturalestate of anxious confusion
Japanese カルチャーショック
- カルチャーショック (karuchāshokku)state of anxious confusion
Korean 문화 충격
- 문화 충격 (munhwa chunggyeok)state of anxious confusion
Malay kejutan budaya
- kejutan budayastate of anxious confusion
Polish szok kulturowy
- szok kulturowystate of anxious confusion
Portuguese choque cultural
- choque culturalstate of anxious confusion
Romanian șoc cultural
- șoc culturalstate of anxious confusion
Russian культу́рный шок
- культу́рный шок (kulʹtúrnyj šok)state of anxious confusion
Scottish Gaelic buille chultarail
- buille chultarailstate of anxious confusion
Spanish shock / choque de culturas
- shock / choque de culturasstate of anxious confusion
Swedish kulturchock
- kulturchockstate of anxious confusion
Turkish kültür şoku, kültür bunalımı
- kültür şokustate of anxious confusion
- kültür bunalımıstate of anxious confusion
Ukrainian культу́рний шок
- культу́рний шок (kulʹtúrnyj šok)state of anxious confusion
Vietnamese sốc văn hoá
- sốc văn hoástate of anxious confusion
Cite this entry
culture shock. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/culture%20shock
“culture shock.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/culture%20shock. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “culture shock,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/culture%20shock.
Source: culture shock on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.