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
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Recent Examples of outcasts
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
As the unlikely pair of outcasts team up, the kingdom’s ancient history and modern politics throw unexpected wrinkles into their quest to clear Ballister’s name.
—Andrew Walsh, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Dec. 2025
That’s Spanish for Saint Death, a scythe-wielding skeleton folk saint popular in Latin America as a guardian of outcasts.
—Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2025
The Twits don’t have a change of heart and end up as outcasts once more, but the film frames Beesha’s mercy toward them in a positive light.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 17 Oct. 2025
Sharing the same gray pallor to their skin, the pair take comfort in one another as fellow outcasts.
—Samantha Allen, Them., 7 Oct. 2025
Sam’s science fiction action adventure spotlights life on the margins if also on the fringes of deep space, its two main characters a pair of well-meaning outcasts outrunning the law.
—Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
Clearly, people feel like outcasts even if the world doesn’t see them that way.
—Selome Hailu, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
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
As the unlikely pair of outcasts team up, the kingdom’s ancient history and modern politics throw unexpected wrinkles into their quest to clear Ballister’s name.
—Andrew Walsh, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Dec. 2025
That’s Spanish for Saint Death, a scythe-wielding skeleton folk saint popular in Latin America as a guardian of outcasts.
—Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2025
The Twits don’t have a change of heart and end up as outcasts once more, but the film frames Beesha’s mercy toward them in a positive light.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 17 Oct. 2025
Sharing the same gray pallor to their skin, the pair take comfort in one another as fellow outcasts.
—Samantha Allen, Them., 7 Oct. 2025
Sam’s science fiction action adventure spotlights life on the margins if also on the fringes of deep space, its two main characters a pair of well-meaning outcasts outrunning the law.
—Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
Clearly, people feel like outcasts even if the world doesn’t see them that way.
—Selome Hailu, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outcasts
Noun
-
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
-
Few if any of the originators attend now that the Santas are less social pariahs and law breakers and more fraternity brothers and junior bankers.—
Chuck Palahniuk,
Vulture,
13 Nov. 2025
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
-
The show, which ran for three seasons from 1964 to 1967, centered around seven castaways who have to survive after getting shipwrecked on an uncharted island.—
Daysia Tolentino,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Dec. 2025
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Both she and her ally, Velovic, were named as the final two castaways among the returning 24 stars.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
18 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Kurdish exiles claim Iranian attack in Iraq The National Army of Kurdistan, the armed wing of the Kurdistan Freedom Party, or PAK, claimed Iran launched an attack against one of its bases near Irbil, some 200 miles north of Baghdad.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Jan. 2026
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The Rubio factor In the past, many Cuban exiles and Cuban American hardliners have strongly opposed negotiations with the Cuban government.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Outcasts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outcasts. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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