French Conversation · Level 66
60 words
French word
altérité
Pronunciation
IPA/alteʁite/
Meaning
- feminine nounotherness
Example
L'altérité est importante dans notre société.
Otherness is important in our society.
More examples
Dans une discussion, il faut reconnaître l'altérité de l'autre.
In a discussion, one must recognize the other person's otherness.
Core concept
The state of encountering another person or group as different from oneself without reducing that difference to sameness.
Similar words
différence: A difference or contrast between two or more things.
Definition in French
L'altérité désigne la qualité d'être autre et le fait de reconnaître la différence entre soi et autrui.
Word origin
The word reflects Latin alter, "the other," through a learned abstract formation that developed into French altérité.
Usage tips
- In everyday French, différence is usually more neutral and common, while altérité often belongs to academic, philosophical, or institutional language.
Other meanings
- differencenoun
Opposites
- identitéidentitynoun
- uniformitéuniformitynoun
Related words
- altérerdamageverb
- altéréalteredadjective