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
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.
“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 • Feb. 17, 2026
Sparta star to Gladbach outcast - who is Cvancara as Celtic confirm deal?
From BBC • Jan. 22, 2026
She said that I was stingy and mean, an outcast at life’s rich feast.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025
Snake is a wonderfully pulpy, instantly iconic creation, an outcast adventurer reeking of sweat and post-Vietnam cynicism.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 29, 2025
I yearned for my mother, and at the same time I understood that she had sent me to this place where I was an outcast.
From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
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.
