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; see out-, + cast ( def. )
Origin of outcast2
1590–1600; noun use of verb phrase ( Scottish ) cast out
Explanation
An outcast is someone who isn't wanted. To remember what outcast means, flip it around: outcasts have been cast out from somewhere. No one wants to be an outcast: such people are rejected by their peers. We all feel like outcasts sometimes. For example, if no one wants to sit with you at lunch, you will probably feel like an outcast. There are much more serious cases too: if a person is thrown out of a community or country, they are considered an outcast (or an exile).
Vocabulary lists containing outcast
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
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Out of My Mind
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"Tribute to the Dog," Vocabulary from the speech
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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.
Outcast Henry's life fails to improve when his family relocates to Hawkins, where he spends his free time hanging out with spiders in an attic.
From BBC • Nov. 26, 2025
The conservancy paired up with fishing charter Outcast Sport Fishing of Hilton Head, South Carolina, to tag LeeBeth.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 11, 2024
Or it wasn’t until mid-October, when Saigon Outcast suddenly closed its doors, another victim of the long, whip-cracking tail of the pandemic.
From Washington Post • Dec. 12, 2022
On his first day back to school, there happened to be a casting session for a Scottish horror film Outcast, starring James Nesbitt.
From The Guardian • Aug. 19, 2019
Art Thou a king then, poor, worn, tear-stained Outcast, forsaken of every subject, of every friend, in the hour of Thy bitter need?
From Misread Passage of Scriptures by Brown, James Baldwin
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.
