outcast

1 of 2

noun

out·​cast ˈau̇t-ˌkast 

1

: one that is cast out or refused acceptance (as by society)

2

[Scots cast out to quarrel] Scotland : quarrel

outcast

2 of 2

adjective

1

: rejected or cast out by society

I felt no longer outcast, vagrant, and disowned by the wide world.

—Charlotte Brontë

He breaks through the stereotype and humanizes this outcast group of young people.

—Publishers Weekly

Tom was like the rest of the respectable boys, in that he envied Huckleberry his gaudy outcast condition, and was under strict orders not to play with him.

—Mark Twain

2

: thrown aside : discarded

a pile of outcast furniture

outcast beliefs

Synonyms of outcast

Noun

• reject
• pariah
• leper
• castaway
• castoff

Examples of outcast in a Sentence

Noun

She felt like a social outcast.

the professor is something of an outcast in the halls of academe now that his former support of a dictatorial regime has become public

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Maïmouna Miawana plays Kellou with an open-hearted and gentle determination that suits this character who thinks of herself as an outcast. —Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 19 Feb. 2026

If 12-step groups are the place for misfits and outcasts to find each other, then the Yellow Balloon folk and the Dopes of Dopey Nation are the fringe of the fringe — the misfits of the misfits, the outcasts of the outcasts. —David Manheim, Rolling Stone, 19 Feb. 2026

Adjective

Saltburn explores obsession and class divisions in mid-2000s Britain, following outcast Oxford student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) and his intense connection with Felix (Jacob Elordi), a popular student who comes from enormous wealth. —Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Dec. 2025

Another of the boys, Ben (Everett Blunck), struggles between his desire to help the outcast camper and his worries about incurring the wrath of the larger group, especially the ringleader Jake (Kayo Martin). —Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 22 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for outcast

• aghast
• amassed
• biassed
• broadcast
• bypassed
• downcast
• forecast
• foremast
• harassed
• holdfast
• mainmast
• newscast

Kids Definition

outcast

noun

out·​cast -ˌkast 

: a person who is cast out by society : pariah

outcast adjective