as in pariahs
one who is cast out or rejected by society
the professor is something of an outcast in the halls of academe now that his former support of a dictatorial regime has become public
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 outcasts
In the world of the film, reptiles—but especially snakes—are outcasts from mammal-centric society.
—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 15 Mar. 2026
Kiedis and Flea trace their own journeys as outcasts and Los Angeles transplants to Fairfax High School and their initial meeting with Slovak, who was far cooler and more confident than either of them.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 15 Mar. 2026
There are no varsity quarterbacks or Olympic hopefuls among these quirkmasters, just a heaping of outcasts who believe their lot in life rests on words like capybara and tittup.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2026
If 12-step groups are the place for misfits and outcasts to find each other, then the Yellow Balloon folk and the Dopes of Dopey Nation are the fringe of the fringe — the misfits of the misfits, the outcasts of the outcasts.
—David Manheim, Rolling Stone, 19 Feb. 2026
As the doppelganger charms the internet and devises a nefarious plot to replace mankind with brainrot, Shiori must partner with other online outcasts to stop her digital counterpart and reclaim her life in the real world.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 5 Feb. 2026
There’s a cast of wanderers, visionaries, and itinerants, the self-educated and self-published, a long lineage of cranks and outcasts, mostly penurious, always opinionated, stretching away into the mists of pseudohistory.
—Hari Kunzru, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
When snowboarding was first created, mountains banned snowboards from ski lifts because they were stigmatized by association with outcasts and misfits.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
Oak Lawn’s history of being a haven for the LGBTQ community dates back to the mid-1900s when LGBTQ people were outcasts — and considered criminals.
—Timia Cobb
breaking News Reporter, Dallas Morning News, 5 Jan. 2026
Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 15 Mar. 2026
Kiedis and Flea trace their own journeys as outcasts and Los Angeles transplants to Fairfax High School and their initial meeting with Slovak, who was far cooler and more confident than either of them.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 15 Mar. 2026
There are no varsity quarterbacks or Olympic hopefuls among these quirkmasters, just a heaping of outcasts who believe their lot in life rests on words like capybara and tittup.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2026
If 12-step groups are the place for misfits and outcasts to find each other, then the Yellow Balloon folk and the Dopes of Dopey Nation are the fringe of the fringe — the misfits of the misfits, the outcasts of the outcasts.
—David Manheim, Rolling Stone, 19 Feb. 2026
As the doppelganger charms the internet and devises a nefarious plot to replace mankind with brainrot, Shiori must partner with other online outcasts to stop her digital counterpart and reclaim her life in the real world.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 5 Feb. 2026
There’s a cast of wanderers, visionaries, and itinerants, the self-educated and self-published, a long lineage of cranks and outcasts, mostly penurious, always opinionated, stretching away into the mists of pseudohistory.
—Hari Kunzru, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
When snowboarding was first created, mountains banned snowboards from ski lifts because they were stigmatized by association with outcasts and misfits.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
Oak Lawn’s history of being a haven for the LGBTQ community dates back to the mid-1900s when LGBTQ people were outcasts — and considered criminals.
—Timia Cobb
breaking News Reporter, Dallas Morning News, 5 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outcasts
Noun
-
These factors have turned the Ellisons into Murdoch-like pariahs among many Democrats, and have brought together a somewhat ideologically diverse antitrust coalition, ranging from the more centrist wing of the Democratic Party to the progressive left.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Traditionally, scientists and doctors who have questioned vaccine safety, and even the benefits of vaccines, have quickly become pariahs.—
Will Carless,
USA Today,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Remember, the Lord Jesus did not fear lepers, and leprosy was (and continues to be) a highly contagious infectious disease.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
15 Sep. 2025
-
The town serves as the backdrop for what many surrounding the production consider the creative high point of the season — an episode 5 spaghetti western side mission that involves lepers, eye-gauging vultures, and a train pulled by zombies.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
26 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
In it, Jackson Lamb (Oldman), River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) and the rest of the MI5 rejects are on the case — and a bit on the defense.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Fans were given a say in key decisions, voting online to shape production and game mechanics, from choosing tribe colors to requiring castaways to earn rice and supplies instead of receiving them at the start.—
Pamela Chelin,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Mar. 2026
-
For the uninitiated, the Dream Team is a rotating group of 20somethings who test challenges before the castaways.—
Terry Terrones,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Over the past two decades, officials in Caracas have also repeatedly accused exiles in the city of orchestrating dozens of plots to overthrow the socialist revolution.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
25 Mar. 2026
-
And Rubio absorbed the Cuban exiles’ uncompromising stances.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Outcasts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outcasts. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
