pariah

American  

[puh-rahy-uh] / pəˈraɪ ə /

noun

• pariahs
  plural

1. an outcast.

2. any person or animal that is generally despised or avoided.

3. none Pariah a member of a low caste in southern India and Myanmar (Burma).

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pariah British  

/ ˈpærɪə, pəˈraɪə /

noun

1. a social outcast

2. (formerly) a member of a low caste in South India

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pariah Cultural  

1. An outcast; a member of a low caste or class.

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Usage

What does pariah mean? A pariah is an outcast or someone who’s despised and avoided. Pariah is often used to refer to a person who is widely shunned for some offense they have committed. It is often used in the phrase social pariah and in the context of politics. Example: Although the defendant was found not guilty, he was still treated like a pariah in his hometown, with formerly close friends now refusing to talk to him.

Discover More

The word originally stems from the caste system of India, which put pariahs in a very low place in society. In the United States, it refers to those of low social class or social status.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pariahdom
  noun
• pariahism
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• pariahs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pariah

First recorded in 1605–15; from Tamil paṟaiyar, plural of paṟaiyan literally, “drummer” (from a hereditary duty of the caste), derivative of paṟai “festival drum”

Explanation

A pariah is someone that has been soundly rejected by their community. Your constant gossiping might make you a pariah on campus. Pariah takes its name from a tribe in Southeast India. The pariahs were drummers, sorcerers, and servants who became untouchables in Indian society because of the unsanitary jobs they did. Pariah maintains this sense of untouchableness. Pariahs are not just unliked, they are avoided at all costs. Imagine how a once popular restaurant could gain pariah status if it fails health inspections three times in a row.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pariah pariahs

Lineage has been a pariah in the community, with residents and Los Angeles officials speaking out after the company missed the city’s 45-day deadline to remove the waste.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

Myanmar's ex-junta chief Min Aung Hlaing arrived in Bangkok Thursday for his first visit to Thailand as civilian leader, as he seeks a return to the diplomatic fold for his pariah state.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

Simpson was acquitted, but he never regained the public’s affection or goodwill, and will forever be remembered as a pariah who perhaps got away with literal murder.

From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026

Beijing has also long served as the main mediator between Kim's pariah regime and the rest of the world.

From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026

Or maybe it’s low-wage work in general that has the effect of making you feel like a pariah.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

U.S. sanctions generally aim to cut off targets from the U.S. financial system, turning them into economic pariahs and threatening companies that dare to trade with them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

"Eventually, whole social classes, including many Roma people, could become pariahs in this country with nowhere to go," Kadet warned.

From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2025

For a brief moment, militias were pariahs to both parties.

From Slate ● Jan. 27, 2025

“We obviously want to collaborate, but we’re seen as the pariahs right now, we’re seen as the bogeymen,” Song said.

From Salon ● Dec. 12, 2024

John Early, a veteran of the Spanish-American War, arrived at Carville in 1918, when patients were treated as prisoners and pariahs rather than people who needed medical care.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Related Words

• leper
• outsider
• persona non grata
• vagabond