outsider

noun

out·​sid·​er ˌau̇t-ˈsī-dər How to pronounce outsider (audio)
ˈau̇t-ˌsī-
Synonyms of outsidernext
1
: a person who does not belong to a particular group
2
chiefly British : a contender not expected to win
outsiderness noun

Examples of outsider in a Sentence

To outsiders, the ritual may seem strange. She felt like an outsider in her new school. An outsider defeated the champion! She was a rank outsider who managed to win.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Murton was teaching at Southern Illinois University and working on a doctorate in criminology when Rockefeller, who wanted an outsider to help reform the state's prison system, called him for help. Arkansas Online, 27 Dec. 2025 In each case, the departure followed the sale of the winery to an outsider, because the organization’s ethos requires that every estate remain independent, under 100 percent family ownership. Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 27 Dec. 2025 When Marlene is waiting for the school bus as a child, there’s this vivid mixture of class shame, outsider shame, and familial shame. Hazlitt, 23 Dec. 2025 Some outsiders regarded the sect as an English plot to neutralize the populace with religious fervor, opening the way for a British reconquest of New England. Christian Goodwillie, The Conversation, 22 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for outsider

Word History

First Known Use

1800, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of outsider was in 1800

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Cite this Entry

“Outsider.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outsider. Accessed 30 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

outsider

noun
out·​sid·​er (ˈ)au̇t-ˈsīd-ər How to pronounce outsider (audio)
: a person who does not belong to a particular group

More from Merriam-Webster on outsider

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