as in mavericks
a person who is different from other people and who does not seem to belong in a particular group or situation
a comic book about a social misfit who discovers his superpower
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Recent Examples of misfits
What follows is Rockwell and his merry band of misfits on a madcap romp through a dystopian landscape for a showdown with the future’s artificial nemesis.
—
Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 15 Feb. 2026
The Secret Agent’s primary setting is a house full of misfits and refugees in the northeastern city of Recife, a safe harbor from those persecuted by the country’s military regime, ruled over by the inimitable Dona Sebastiana (Tânia Maria, whose role was written specifically for her).
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 6 Feb. 2026
In these worlds, misfits set the rules.
—Charlie Vargas, Oc Register, 15 Jan. 2026
Many of the misfits that found their passion carried that ethos into their adult responsibilities.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
Joining the ranks of books like Yume Kitasei’s The Stardust Grail is Molly Tanzer’s novella, which follows a group of misfits trying to infiltrate the intergalactic Greenwood Museum.
—Literary Hub, 2 Jan. 2026
Alex Chew, co-founder of the Black Auteur Film Festival and Sequence 8 Films, a production company focused on strong female leads, misfits and antiheroes, was one of three participants in the 2025 intensive.
—Matthew Odam, Austin American Statesman, 29 Dec. 2025
The right has moved even beyond the high keys on the piano and includes conspiracy theorists, white supremacists, antisemites, and a collection of just plain misfits.
—Paul Bedard, The Washington Examiner, 27 Dec. 2025
In the 1940s and '50s, New York City table tennis was a gritty subculture full of misfits, gamblers, doctors, actors, students and more.
—Elizabeth Blair, NPR, 25 Dec. 2025
Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 15 Feb. 2026
The Secret Agent’s primary setting is a house full of misfits and refugees in the northeastern city of Recife, a safe harbor from those persecuted by the country’s military regime, ruled over by the inimitable Dona Sebastiana (Tânia Maria, whose role was written specifically for her).
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 6 Feb. 2026
In these worlds, misfits set the rules.
—Charlie Vargas, Oc Register, 15 Jan. 2026
Many of the misfits that found their passion carried that ethos into their adult responsibilities.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
Joining the ranks of books like Yume Kitasei’s The Stardust Grail is Molly Tanzer’s novella, which follows a group of misfits trying to infiltrate the intergalactic Greenwood Museum.
—Literary Hub, 2 Jan. 2026
Alex Chew, co-founder of the Black Auteur Film Festival and Sequence 8 Films, a production company focused on strong female leads, misfits and antiheroes, was one of three participants in the 2025 intensive.
—Matthew Odam, Austin American Statesman, 29 Dec. 2025
The right has moved even beyond the high keys on the piano and includes conspiracy theorists, white supremacists, antisemites, and a collection of just plain misfits.
—Paul Bedard, The Washington Examiner, 27 Dec. 2025
In the 1940s and '50s, New York City table tennis was a gritty subculture full of misfits, gamblers, doctors, actors, students and more.
—Elizabeth Blair, NPR, 25 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misfits
Noun
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Garcia, who plays cartel boss Gallino in the second season of the Paramount+ show, praised Sheridan as one of Hollywood's true mavericks.—
Lauryn Overhultz , Larry Fink,
FOXNews.com,
1 Dec. 2025
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Most of our mavericks who fly that close to the sun never get to see that journey through.—
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson,
Rolling Stone,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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There is just enough character in the comedy to create stakes in the narrative; its misfit energy has fueled the screen’s bands of outsiders throughout the years.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
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Still, director Mario Landi, working with the limited resources of television production at the time, provides intriguing little visual touches, utilizing windows as a central motif to explore the book’s running theme of outsiders always looking in.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The most powerful enemy of all is the capitalist system of landownership and social hierarchy that kept these two freaks apart.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
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Not as freaks to be studied from afar, mimicked, and exploited for other people’s creative whims or amusement, but as complex and whole parts of the world worth exploring and celebrating.—
Sarah Kurchak,
Time,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misfits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misfits. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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