outcast
1 Americannoun
adjective
-
cast out, as from one's home or society.
an outcast son.
-
pertaining to or characteristic of an outcast.
outcast misery.
-
rejected or discarded.
outcast opinions.
noun
noun
-
a person who is rejected or excluded from a social group
-
a vagabond or wanderer
-
anything thrown out or rejected
adjective
Etymology
Origin of outcast1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English outcast(e), outecaste; out-, + cast ( def. )
Origin of outcast2
1590–1600; noun use of verb phrase ( Scottish ) cast out
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Call you outcast, low down, you can’t make it, you’re nothing, you’re from nobody, subclass, underclass; when you see Jesse Jackson, when my name goes in nomination, your name goes in nomination.”
From Los Angeles Times
It makes more sense that the feeling of family promised by rock touring life would appeal to Charlie Brown; it often calls to creative dreamers and outcasts with a subconscious need to belong.
From Los Angeles Times
“Now, because we lost, tradition has been upheld and we’re just a bunch of outcasts. One shot in the final minute could have changed that.”
"A single incident alters our whole life. We are treated like outcasts by society and face so many difficulties. Shouldn't the government do more to prevent more people from suffering the same fate as us?"
From BBC
His dislike of this year’s performer, superstar Bad Bunny, makes him an outcast twice-over.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
