outcast

1 of 2

noun

out·​cast ˈau̇t-ˌkast How to pronounce outcast (audio)
1
: one that is cast out or refused acceptance (as by society)
2
[Scots cast out to quarrel] Scotland : quarrel

outcast

2 of 2

adjective

1
: rejected or cast out by society
I felt no longer outcast, vagrant, and disowned by the wide world.Charlotte Brontë
He breaks through the stereotype and humanizes this outcast group of young people.Publishers Weekly
Tom was like the rest of the respectable boys, in that he envied Huckleberry his gaudy outcast condition, and was under strict orders not to play with him.Mark Twain
2
: thrown aside : discarded
a pile of outcast furniture
outcast beliefs

Examples of outcast in a Sentence

Noun She felt like a social outcast. the professor is something of an outcast in the halls of academe now that his former support of a dictatorial regime has become public
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Yet overall, the film manages to capture the unmoored, uncertain feeling of being a broke outcast trying to eke by a few more days, eager to make it to happiness. Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2024 Watch Hustle on Netflix Hubie Halloween In the 2020 Halloween comedy Hubie Halloween, Sandler plays Hubie, a naive yet loveable goof who is a bit of an outcast. Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024 In Lisa Frankenstein, Kathryn Newton stars as Lisa Swallows, a 17-year-old outcast who accidentally summons and falls in love with a Victorian-era zombie (Cole Sprouse). Danielle Directo-Meston, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Feb. 2024 In your story, however, Kevin and his family seem to be outcasts, ostracized by their peers and, in his father’s case, resentful of their dependence on the government. Dennis Zhou, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024 To aid in her mission, Lilith assembles a crew with five other outcasts to explore the dangerous planet. Wilson Chapman, Variety, 21 Feb. 2024 The rest of the vault-hunting outcasts in the above pic are: Roland (Kevin Hart), Tiny Tina (Ariana Greenblatt), Krieg (Florian Munteanu), Tannis—not Half-Elven (Jamie Lee Curtis) and the endlessly, seriously won’t just ever shut-up robot Claptrap (Jack Black). Erik Kain, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 This is true right down to our heroine’s friendship with two fellow outcasts who steal every scene. Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 6 Jan. 2024 Buy Now 13 of 15 'Bride' by Ali Hazelwood An outcast Vampyre named Misery is forced to marry a werewolf to keep the peace in this buzzy new supernatural romance. People Staff, Peoplemag, 10 Feb. 2024
Adjective
The title character of Nimona is a redheaded shape-shifter (Chloë Grace Moretz) who befriends outcast knight Sir Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed) after the latter is framed for the murder of the queen (Lorraine Toussaint). Christian Holub, EW.com, 30 June 2023 Her antagonist is Val Turner (Bathé), the principled, relentless and socially outcast FBI agent who will stop at nothing to foil her ambitious plan. Jennifer Maas, Variety, 12 May 2022 Jack and Rose were outcast, lovelorn dreamers. K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone, 13 Dec. 2022 There could be other repercussions, such as getting booted from a committee or being outcast during the reelection cycle. Laura Rodríguez Presa, Chicago Tribune, 1 Jan. 2023 The proof is in these stories, as Mantel explores different facets of a semi-outcast childhood in her striking and starkly beautiful prose. Clea Simon, BostonGlobe.com, 23 June 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'outcast.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of outcast was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near outcast

Cite this Entry

“Outcast.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outcast. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

outcast

noun
out·​cast -ˌkast How to pronounce outcast (audio)
: a person who is cast out by society : pariah
outcast adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on outcast

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