CASTAWAY Synonyms: 30 Similar and Opposite Words

castaway 1 of 2

noun

Definition of castaway

as in reject

one who is cast out or rejected by society one theory is that Easter Island was first settled by castaways from Polynesia

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

insider

castaway

2 of 2

adjective

as in lost

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of castaway

Noun

One guy simply voted for his fellow castaways in alphabetical order. — Julie Beck, The Atlantic, 12 May 2026 With Piggy as the ideas man, thinking through issues like sanitation and proposing a signal fire to aid rescue efforts, Ralph uses his constituents’ goodwill to implement an ad-hoc social democracy that cares for even the youngest and weakest castaways. — Judy Berman, Time, 4 May 2026

Adjective

Chartering a speedboat, we were whisked into the bay, a spellbinding expanse of calm, amniotic water dotted with more than 50 tiny islands and pristine beaches that called to mind castaway fantasies. — David Amsden, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025 Colts head coach Shane Steichen has found something in castaway quarterback Daniel Jones. — Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 28 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for castaway

Recent Examples of Synonyms for castaway

Noun

The most opinionated of these rejects is Smarty Pants, a basic toilet-training tech tool given an amusingly snarky attitude by Conan O’Brien.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 June 2026
Today, there are hundreds of rejects packed in wood cabinets and cardboard boxes.

— Steve Hartman, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026

Definition of reject

Adjective

Male friendship—something that used to be played for laughs, if it was noted at all—has become a lost art, or an antidote.

— Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 13 July 2026
Hurst hopes more context can be gleaned by further studies of the many other plaster scraps—which bear different handwriting from at least one other scribe—and by excavating more of the lost city.

— Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 13 July 2026

Definition of lost

Adjective

The World Cup has been an amazing spectacle and, mercifully, the sport’s notorious hooligans have been largely absent.

— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026
His death leaves Republicans with a smaller Senate majority, which could hamper the party’s voting strength with Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell already absent from the chamber due to hospitalization.

— Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 13 July 2026

Definition of absent

Noun

The pastor’s initiative proved so popular that the church began distributing feed sacks to well-off homes, so Boston housewives could continually set aside castoffs for donation.

— Caity Weaver, The Atlantic, 12 June 2026
For decades, West Africa’s largest secondhand market had thrived on the global North’s castoffs, yet a growing deluge of fast fashion and its ultra-fast successors had turned Accra into the world’s clothing graveyard.

— Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 8 June 2026

Definition of castoff

Adjective

Expect silly errors, misplaced paperwork, delays and equipment breakdowns.

— Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 8 July 2026
The fear that Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, established in Ethiopia, would reign supreme after Ethiopia deregulated the largest telecommunications market proved misplaced.

— Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

Definition of misplaced

Noun

The best part of the movie is Murray Bartlett’s wise leper, a man who for the vast majority of his screen time is covered head to toe.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 26 June 2026
Robin also strikes up a friendship with a soulful, philosophical leper (Murray Bartlett, covered in wrappings from head to toe), who somehow recognizes his good qualities.

— Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 11 June 2026

Definition of leper

Adjective

Those direct runs into the box were largely missing from a Spain performance that was dominant in possession but often stiff and predictable in attack.

— Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 11 July 2026
The second occupant, 20-year-old Dominick Tocci of Woodstock, went missing in the water.

— Kellie Love, Hartford Courant, 11 July 2026