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.
“Thomas Jefferson was a man of the world. I’m sure he knew gay people. Sally Hemings was enslaved, so I would think she’d be more empathetic because of being an outcast and an outsider.”
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
And so an outcast couple, immoral and ungovernable, served as the vanguard for new European settlements.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
Thomas Harris grew up in the South as a bookish outcast, reading the works of Ernest Hemingway and Jonathan Swift.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2026
His dislike of this year’s performer, superstar Bad Bunny, makes him an outcast twice-over.
From Salon ● Feb. 7, 2026
To be the family outcast, this is the worst thing he can imagine.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
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.
