outsider

American  

[out-sahy-der] / ˌaʊtˈsaɪ dər /

noun

1. a person not belonging to a particular group, set, party, etc..

   Society often regards the artist as an outsider.

2. a person unconnected or unacquainted with the matter in question.

   Not being a parent, I was regarded as an outsider.

3. a racehorse, sports team, or other competitor not considered likely to win or succeed.

4. a person or thing not within an enclosure, boundary, etc.

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outsider British  

/ ˌaʊtˈsaɪdə /

noun

1. a person or thing excluded from or not a member of a set, group, etc

2. a contestant, esp a horse, thought unlikely to win in a race

3. (in the north) a person who does not live in the Arctic regions

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Etymology

Origin of outsider

First recorded in 1790–1800; outside + -er ¹

Example Sentences

There’s no doubt that Russia’s military and Russian society have paid a terrible price for this war, worse than outsiders will ever know.

From Salon

“If an outsider looked into the family, they might be horrified with what the person will put up with,” Lembke says.

From The Wall Street Journal

In Eugene, Cristobal was guarded about the football team’s operations, going one step beyond the typical approach of closing practices to outsiders.

From The Wall Street Journal

Analysts and investors praised the decision to bring in an outsider, unprecedented at BP where CEOs have always risen through the ranks, saying the move was needed to enable a thorough look at the business.

From The Wall Street Journal

Anthropic had tested a vending machine powered by its Claude AI model in its own offices and asked whether we’d like to be the first outsiders to try a newer, supposedly smarter version.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• alien
• foreigner
• interloper
• newcomer
• stranger