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

Indeed, Ye has been something of an outcast in the mainstream entertainment industry since a series of antisemitic and racist tirades in 2022, culminating in the release of a swastika T-shirt via his Yeezy brand. —Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 5 Apr. 2026

California Avenue is Blick’s new series about a family of outcasts and For All Mankind spin-off Star City is about the Soviet space programme, with Rhys Ifans, Anna Maxwell Martin and Agnes O’Casey starring. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 31 Mar. 2026

Adjective

Denise Richards plays wealthy high schooler Kelly Van Ryan, who accuses her guidance counselor, Sam Lombardo (Matt Dillon), of raping her; her case is then reinforced when outcast Suzie Toller (Neve Campbell) comes forward with her own allegation against Sam. —Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Apr. 2026

With Fire and Ash, Cameron retreads a lot of the same ground, from the fraught father-son relationship between Quaritch and Spider to the plight of poor Payakan, still the outcast space whale. —Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2026

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