2. Belonging to, characteristic of, or constituting another and very different place, society, or person; strange. See Synonyms at foreign. 3. Dissimilar, inconsistent, or opposed, as in nature: emotions alien to her temperament.
n, pl -thens or -then. 1. (Alternative Belief Systems) a person who does not acknowledge the God of Christianity, Judaism, or Islam; pagan. 2. an uncivilized or barbaric person. 3. (Alternative Belief Systems) the heathen (functioning as plural) heathens collectively.
mass nounoften the gentry. People of good social position, specifically the class of people next below the nobility in position and birth. âa member of the landed gentryâ. âThe survival of the old elites extended to the gentry and petty nobility.â. âThe fair days of the early years were occasions when only the gentry were in a position to buy and sell.â.