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Synonyms

outcast

1 American  
[out-kast, -kahst] / ˈaʊtˌkæst, -ˌkɑst /

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 American  
[out-kast, -kahst] / ˈaʊtˌkæst, -ˌkɑst /

noun

Scot.

  1. a falling out; quarrel.

outcast British  
/ 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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. rejected, abandoned, or discarded; cast out

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

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

“As skateboarders we’ve kind of always been the underdogs, seen as the outcast or the rebels,” says Martinez during a recent video interview with the whole squad gathered.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 11, 2025

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

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 4, 2025

He had no way of knowing that the person he was using as a guide was an even bigger outcast than he was.

From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman

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.