outsider

noun out·sid·er \ ˌau̇t-ˈsī-dər , ˈau̇t-ˌsī- \

Definition of outsider

1 :a person who does not belong to a particular group

2 chiefly British :a contender not expected to win

—

outsiderness

noun

See outsider defined for English-language learners

See outsider defined for kids

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 of outsider from the Web

Development in the Amazon is edging closer to groups of people who have historically lived in the forest and had little contact with outsiders.

— barbara fraser, Science | AAAS, "Maps reveal how Amazon development is closing in on isolated tribes," 17 Aug. 2017
While those inside the local swimming family suspected that St. Xavier was on the verge of something big, outsiders might’ve guessed differently.

— mark schmetzer, Cincinnati.com, "Glory Days: St. X swimming dynasty began in 1970," 11 Aug. 2017
Others disliked the mural because Muck Rock, an outsider, seemed to have dominated the St. Claude landscape.

— doug maccash, NOLA.com, "Gigantic Harriet Tubman $20 bill graffiti mural appears on St. Claude Avenue," 8 Aug. 2017
And although the person may suffer amnesia during a fugue state, behavior may seem completely normal to outsiders. Stefania De Vito Psychologist and neuroscientist Stefania de Vito does research at the University of East London.

— stefania de vito, Scientific American, "Was Agatha Christie’s Mysterious Amnesia Real or Revenge on Her Cheating Spouse?," 2 Aug. 2017
A pair of desperate outsiders storm into the hospital with guns and hold the medical staff and their patients hostage.

— scott meslow, GQ, "One of the Creepiest Horror Movies of 2017 Just Snuck Onto Netflix," 23 July 2017
The campus bustled with outsiders, as the orphans called them — women from the Red Cross sitting at long tables making bandages.

— kristina goetz, The Courier-Journal, "Orphans come back to ‘The Home’ that took them in when no one else could," 20 July 2017
What better illustration of outsider-dom and moral superiority than a character standing to one side grimly observing the mother of the bride arrange the expensive and wrong flowers in anxious sprays.

— rosa lyster, The Cut, "Why Weddings in Books Are Always Terrible," 20 July 2017
Neither Threadripper nor the higher core-count Core i9 chips have shipped, so outsiders don’t know how the chips will perform.

— gordon mah ung, PCWorld, "Intel's 12-core Core i9 might lose the megahertz war to AMD's Ryzen Threadripper," 19 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'outsider.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of outsider

1800

outsider Synonyms

Synonyms

foreigner, nonnative, outlander, stranger

Antonyms

native

Related Words

alien, nonresident; outcast, pariah; drifter, transient, wanderer

Near Antonyms

buddy, chum, comrade, confidant, crony, familiar, friend, intimate, pal; acquaintance, associate, cohort, colleague, companion, fellow, hearty, hobnobber, mate, partner, peer; citizen, habitant, inhabitant, resident

British Definition of OUTSIDER

outsider

noun

British Definition of outsider

:a contender not expected to win

OUTSIDER Defined for English Language Learners

outsider

noun

Definition of outsider for English Language Learners

: a person who does not belong to or is not accepted as part of a particular group or organization
: a person or animal that is not expected to win a race or competition

OUTSIDER Defined for Kids

outsider

noun out·sid·er \ au̇t-ˈsī-dər \

Definition of outsider for Students

:a person who does not belong to a particular group

Learn More about outsider

See words that rhyme with outsider Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for outsider Spanish Central: Translation of outsider Nglish: Translation of outsider for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of outsider for Arabic speakers

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Definition of outsider

outsiderness

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First Known Use of outsider

outsider Synonyms

Synonyms

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British Definition of OUTSIDER

outsider

British Definition of outsider

OUTSIDER Defined for English Language Learners

outsider

Definition of outsider for English Language Learners

OUTSIDER Defined for Kids

outsider

Definition of outsider for Students

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