outcast

¹

[out-kast, -kahst]

noun

1. a person who is rejected or cast out, as from home or society.

   In the beginning the area was settled by outcasts, adventurers, and felons.

   Synonyms: pariah, leper, expatriate, refugee, exile

2. rejected matter; refuse.

adjective

1. cast out, as from one's home or society.

   an outcast son.

2. pertaining to or characteristic of an outcast.

   outcast misery.

3. rejected or discarded.

   outcast opinions.

outcast

²

[out-kast, -kahst]

noun

Scot.

1. a falling out; quarrel.

outcast

/ ˈaʊtˌkɑːst /

noun

1. a person who is rejected or excluded from a social group

2. a vagabond or wanderer

3. anything thrown out or rejected

adjective

1. rejected, abandoned, or discarded; cast out

Word History and Origins

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

He’s someone who, despite his own tremendous loss, is determined to keep doing what’s right and see the best in people — including demons who often were social outcasts before they were turned.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The four Ghostbusters, for instance, bring distinct skills and backgrounds to the table, while the witches in “The Craft” each embody a different archetype of teenage girlhood, from outcast to queen bee.

Read more on Salon

And if there was anybody who was the ultimate outcast, it would be her.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He was being used as an emergency striker with Isak an outcast, so how can Howe contemplate a sale when resources are now so threadbare?

Read more on BBC

A childhood friend of Carruthers said he was "a bit of an outcast" but also the last person he would expect to have been involved in the felling of the tree.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• fugitive 
• untouchable 
• vagabond