pariah means synonym of outcast: A person despised and excluded by their family, community, or society, especially a member of the untouchable castes in Indian society.
pariah is pronounced /pəˈɹaɪə/.
Why “pariah” is a great word
A person despised and excluded by their family, community, or society; an outcast. From Tamil பறையர் (paṟaiyar, 'drummer'), from பறை (paṟai, 'drum'), referring historically to a member of a low-status caste; the extended meaning 'social outcast' is attested by 1819. Unlike 'outcast,' a general term for social rejection, or 'renegade,' which suggests a willful rebellion, *pariah* denotes a profound, systemic shunning, a stigma assigned at birth or by fate. It is the empty chair at the family table, the untouchable required to ring a bell to warn of his approach, the name that curdles in the mouth of those who once spoke it with love—the terrible, inherited weight of a status one never sought and cannot escape.
Etymology
From Tamil பறையர் (paṟaiyar), from பறையன் (paṟaiyaṉ, “drummer”), from பறை (paṟai, “drum”) or from Malayalam പറയർ (paṟayaṟ), from പറയൻ (paṟayaṉ, “drummer”), from പറ (paṟa, “drum”). Parai in Tamil or Para in Malayalam refers to a type of large drum designed to announce the king’s notices to the public. The people who made a living using the parai were called paraiyar; in the caste-based society, they were in the lower strata, hence the derisive paraiah and pariah.
Alternatively, derived from Sanskrit पर (para, “distant; outsider”).
noun
- Synonym of outcast: A person despised and excluded by their family, community, or society, especially a member of the untouchable castes in Indian society.“What is this smoking that it should be considered a crime? I believe in my heart that women are jealous of it, as of a rival. They speak of it as of some secret, awful vice that seizes upon a man, and makes him a Pariah from genteel society.”
- A similarly despised group of people or species of animal.“As ecological conditions became unfavorable for pig raising, there was no alternative function which could redeem its existence. The creature became not only useless, but worse than useless—harmful, a curse to touch or merely to see—a pariah animal.”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- pariahdom 90% match — The state of being a pariah or outcast. vs pariah →
- wretch 82% match — An unhappy, unfortunate, or miserable person. vs pariah →
- dalit 82% match — A member of a South Asian group of people traditionally regarded as untouchables or outcastes. vs pariah →
- reprobate 82% match — Rejected; cast off as worthless. vs pariah →
- wargus 81% match — An outlaw, outcast, or exile; one driven out of society for their crimes. vs pariah →
- chandala 81% match — A person involved in the disposal of corpses, traditionally a lower-caste Hindu and considered untouchable. vs pariah →
- barbarian 80% match — Relating to people, countries, or customs perceived as uncivilized or inferior. vs pariah →
- anathema 80% match — A ban or curse pronounced with religious solemnity by ecclesiastical authority, often accompanied by excommunication; something denounced as accursed. vs pariah →