a state of bewilderment and distress experienced by an individual who is suddenly exposed to a new, strange, or foreign social and cultural environment.
Origin
1955-60
Related forms
culture-shocked, adjective
Examples from the web for culture shock
To say she experiences culture shock is an understatement.
Their wealth presents a culture shock to the citizenry.
Yet today, looking back at the lively pages of the first issues can trigger considerable culture shock.
As of right now though, that would be too much of a culture shock.
Human culture is in fact distinctive enough for people to experience culture shock when they are immersed in a new environment.
True to its name, the outfitter offers trips that are heavier on culture shock than coddling.
It is possible that my culture shock, which some may have read as elitism, was evident.
Graduate students often experience varying degrees of culture shock in their first year as a full-time faculty member.
The film is best when it captures the sense of culture shock that all freshmen undergo.
Many of those who return undergo a kind of culture shock after spending so many years in a more developed country.
British Dictionary definitions for culture shock
culture shock
noun
1.
(sociol) the feelings of isolation, rejection, etc, experienced when one culture is brought into sudden contact with another, as when a primitive tribe is confronted by modern civilization
culture shock in Medicine
culture shockn. A condition of confusion and anxiety affecting a person suddenly exposed to an unfamiliar culture or milieu.
Idioms and Phrases with culture shock
culture shock
A state of confusion and anxiety experienced by someone upon encountering an alien environment. For example, It's not just jet lag—it's the culture shock of being in a new country. This term was first used by social scientists to describe, for example, the experience of a person moving from the country to a big city. It is now used more loosely, as in the example. [ Late 1930s ]