PARIAH Synonyms: 11 Similar and Opposite Words

pariah

noun

pə-ˈrī-ə

Definition of pariah

as in outcast

one who is cast out or rejected by society I felt like a pariah when I wore the wrong outfit to the dinner party

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

insider

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 pariah It's went from a technological prowess to a territorial pariah, and for a small nation, that's not survivable. — CBS News, 12 July 2026 Relatability is an overhyped virtue these days, but fans seem to see themselves in Patricia, whose teenage traumas have rendered her a social pariah desperate for connection. — Josef Adalian, Vulture, 29 June 2026 Not everyone treated the couple as pariahs, though. — Literary Hub, 16 June 2026 Monday’s court ruling and Texas Tech’s defense of its quarterback have shaken administrators and turned the Red Raiders into a pariah, now over more than just Texas Tech’s heavy spending on transfers in multiple sports. — Chris Vannini, New York Times, 9 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for pariah

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pariah

Noun

Once a refuge for long-haired hippies, artists, and outcasts, the White Isle is now drenched in superclubs, each bigger, louder, and more theatrical than the next.

— Chloe Sachdev, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Aug. 2026
Rahm Emanuel, a former congressman, White House chief of staff and mayor of Chicago, made a stop at Tel Aviv University in July to excoriate Netanyahu for turning Israel into an international outcast.

— Daniel DePetris, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of outcast

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

Noun

And both the immune and eliminated designers are high on their own power; Elizabeth, in particular, is acting mighty haughty for a woman whose ruffled scarlet satin dress looks like a reject from the Westworld costume department.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 17 July 2026
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

Definition of reject

Noun

On Survivor, the strongest castaways are often eliminated early because they are perceived as threats.

— Erik Clarke, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Gilligan’s Island, American television sitcom about a group of castaways on a desert island and the chaos that ensues as their attempts at rescue are constantly thwarted.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Aug. 2026