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).

---

pariah British  

/ ˈpærɪə, pəˈraɪə /

noun

1. a social outcast

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

---

pariah Cultural  

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

---

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

Restricting commercial activities and financing of a firm involved in the fires will make that company "a corporate pariah", he said.

From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026

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

Ed Henry KC, representing Y, said the boy had been made a "pariah" as a result of the public being misled by reporting of the case because of an inaccurate press release from the CPS.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 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

He didn’t have to worry about feeling alone or like a pariah.

From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore

Myanmar's post-coup leaders have been considered pariahs by many nations abroad.

From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 2026

Those who had left the Tour were subject to hefty fines, a lengthy suspension and being generally viewed as pariahs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 12, 2026

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

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• leper
• outsider
• persona non grata
• vagabond

---