Synonyms of exile

exile 1 of 2

noun

ˈeg-ˌzī(-ə)l 

1

as in expulsion

the forced removal from a homeland

the exile of French settlers from Nova Scotia resulted in the birth of the Cajun community in the U.S.

Synonyms & Similar Words

• expulsion
• deportation
• banishment
• displacement
• emigration
• migration
• expatriation
• dispersion
• relegation
• evacuation
• diaspora
• extradition
• scattering
• transportation
• ostracism
• ejection
• ouster
• ethnic cleansing
• dispossession

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• return
• immigration
• repatriation

2

as in refugee

a person forced to emigrate for political reasons

after being overthrown in a coup, the dictator spent the remainder of his life as an exile in a string of less-than-welcoming countries

Synonyms & Similar Words

• refugee
• émigré
• emigré
• expatriate
• fugitive
• alien
• deportee
• expat
• evacuee
• outcast
• patriot
• pariah
• loyalist
• castoff

exile

2 of 2

verb

as in to banish

to force to leave a country

with their conquest of the Moors complete, Ferdinand and Isabella next exiled the Jews from Spain

Synonyms & Similar Words

• banish
• relegate
• deport
• transport
• evict
• expatriate
• expel
• run out
• eliminate
• exclude
• cast out
• displace
• kick out
• dismiss
• eject
• excommunicate
• ostracize
• spurn
• oust
• expulse
• throw out
• reject
• dispossess
• repudiate

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• receive
• accept
• repatriate
• admit
• shelter
• take in
• naturalize
• house
• entertain
• harbor

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb exile contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of exile are banish, deport, and transport. While all these words mean "to remove by authority from a state or country," exile may imply compulsory removal or an enforced or voluntary absence from one's own country.

a writer who exiled himself for political reasons

When would banish be a good substitute for exile?

The synonyms banish and exile are sometimes interchangeable, but banish implies compulsory removal from a country not necessarily one's own.

banished for seditious activities

When is deport a more appropriate choice than exile?

Although the words deport and exile have much in common, deport implies sending out of the country an alien who has illegally entered or whose presence is judged inimical to the public welfare.

illegal aliens will be deported

When might transport be a better fit than exile?

The words transport and exile can be used in similar contexts, but transport implies sending a convicted criminal to an overseas penal colony.

a convict who was transported to Australia

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of exile

Noun

He’s forced to postpone his wedding due to the death of his relatives in Gaza – embodying the suffering of an entire generation that has grown up in exile over the decades and within Palestinian refugee camps. —Marta Balaga, Variety, 20 May 2025

Odsal Stadium, Bradford Northern rugby league club’s historic base and where City played 21 ‘home’ league matches in exile, had been touted as a new start after the fire. —Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 10 May 2025

Verb

This was the land from which Jews were exiled in antiquity. —Shalom Goldman, The Conversation, 2 Apr. 2025

Women filmmakers working on British shores like Muriel Box, Wendy Toye, Margaret Tait, and Jill Craigie as well as American filmmakers exiled to the UK by the anti-Communist blacklist like Joseph Losey, Cy Endfield, and Edward Dmytryk will also feature. —Zac Ntim, Deadline, 15 Apr. 2025