castaway

American  

[kast-uh-wey, kahst-] / ˈkæst əˌweɪ, ˈkɑst- /

noun

1. a shipwrecked person.

2. anything cast adrift or thrown away.

3. an outcast.

   Synonyms:

   leper, outlaw, pariah

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adjective

1. cast adrift.

2. thrown away.

castaway British  

/ ˈkɑːstəˌweɪ /

noun

1. a person who has been shipwrecked

2. something thrown off or away; castoff

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adjective

1. shipwrecked or put adrift

2. thrown away or rejected

verb

1. (tr, adverb; often passive) to cause (a ship, person, etc) to be shipwrecked or abandoned

Etymology

Origin of castaway

First recorded in 1520–30; noun, adj. use of verb phrase cast away

Explanation

A castaway is someone who's stranded on shore, often after surviving a shipwreck. A sailor who swims to a small island after a terrible storm can call herself a castaway. A castaway is more likely to be a character in a book than a real person, although occasionally a survivor has found him or herself washed up on an island. Some theories about what happened to the pilot Amelia Earhart after her disappearance include the idea that she was a castaway on some Pacific island. In the 15th century, a castaway was "one who is rejected." The deserted island survivor meaning came along in the late 1700s.

Example Sentences

The Seahawks were paced by a brilliant performance by quarterback Sam Darnold, a Jets castaway who rebuilt himself in Minnesota before landing in Seattle this past offseason.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 26, 2026

Cleverly cast brother and sister Lupita Nyong’o and Junior Nyong’o play castaway twins Viola and Sebastian, with Peter Dinklage, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Sandra Oh and Daphne Rubin-Vega among other well-known actors rounding out the cast.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 18, 2025

The two other prominent theories are that Earhart crash-landed on or near the then-Japanese Marshall Islands, or that she made it to Nikumaroro island near Kiribati and died a castaway there.

From BBC • Sep. 27, 2025

Villain vs. victim in some folks’ minds, but at the very least — survivor vs. castaway.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 16, 2023

The chaplain loved his wife and children with such tameless intensity that he often wanted to sink to the ground helplessly and weep like a castaway cripple.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller