pariah
Americannoun
-
an outcast.
-
any person or animal that is generally despised or avoided.
-
none Pariah a member of a low caste in southern India and Myanmar (Burma).
noun
-
a social outcast
-
(formerly) a member of a low caste in South India
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
- pariahdom noun
- pariahism noun
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”
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.
Its status as an international pariah has all but erased the country from the stage of global sports.
As a parent, I want the law to step in to protect children from predatory tech companies, and to relieve me of the burden of making my own children social pariahs.
AI voice startup ElevenLabs was initially viewed as a pariah in Hollywood.
Once a cop with a promising career, he became a law-enforcement pariah after mishandling an Alberta murder case involving a 6-year-old child.
Back then there had been many years of engagement between the generals and an assortment of UN envoys, exploring ways to end their pariah status and re-engage with the rest of the world.
From BBC
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.
