alien
This word carries a heavy tension between the scientific and the social. In a sci-fi context, it evokes a sense of the unknown, the uncanny, or the biologically impossible, often leaning toward a feeling of dread or curiosity about the cosmic void. In legal or social contexts, it describes a boundary of belonging. While it can be a neutral administrative term, it often feels cold or exclusionary, marking a sharp divide between the insider and the outsider, or the native and the stranger.
Countable when referring to a specific extraterrestrial being or a foreign national. Uncountable when used as an adjective to describe a quality of strangeness.
Meanings
A creature from another planet.
"The movie features a terrifying alien from Mars."
A person who is not a citizen of the country in which they are living.
"The government is reviewing the status of every resident alien."
Belonging to a foreign country or nation.
"The laws of the land are alien to the visitors."
Strange, unfamiliar, or unnatural.
"The concept of total silence was completely alien to the city dweller."