foreign body
Loading your saved state.
foreign body
An object or substance that has entered a body or system from the outside and does not belong there.
Der Arzt musste einen Fremdkörper aus dem Auge des Kindes entfernen.
The doctor had to remove a foreign body from the child's eye.
outsider / misfit
A person or thing that does not fit into a particular group, environment, or system and is perceived as inappropriate or disruptive.
In der traditionsreichen Firma fühlte sich der neue, unkonventionelle Manager wie ein Fremdkörper.
In the tradition-rich company, the new, unconventional manager felt like a misfit.
The word is made up of 'fremd' (foreign/strange) and 'Körper' (body). Its meaning is therefore literal: a body that is foreign in an environment. This principle applies to both meanings.
Ein Splitter im Finger ist ein klassischer Fremdkörper.
A splinter in your finger is a classic foreign body.
In a medical context, a foreign body is often 'entfernt' (removed), 'verschluckt' (swallowed), or it 'dringt' into the body 'ein' (penetrates/enters). The most common preposition is 'in' with the dative or accusative.
Der Chirurg entfernte den Fremdkörper aus der Wunde.
The surgeon removed the foreign body from the wound.
In the figurative meaning, the constructions 'sich fühlen wie ein Fremdkörper' (to feel like a misfit/foreign body) or 'ein Fremdkörper in einer Gruppe sein' (to be a misfit in a group) are often used. It describes a feeling of not belonging.
Er passte nicht ins Team und fühlte sich von Anfang an wie ein Fremdkörper.
He didn't fit into the team and felt like a misfit from the very beginning.
outsider / underdog
An Außenseiter is on the margins of a group and is not fully integrated. A Fremdkörper, on the other hand, does not fit into a group or environment as a person and is perceived there as inappropriate or disruptive. Use Außenseiter for a marginal social position and Fremdkörper for the impression of being disruptive.
Wegen seiner abwertenden Kommentare wirkte er im neuen Team wie ein Fremdkörper.
Because of his disparaging comments, he seemed like a misfit on the new team.
Weil die anderen ihn kaum einbezogen, blieb er im neuen Team ein Außenseiter.
Because the others barely included him, he remained an outsider on the new team.
