English vocabulary · C1
Pariah
/pəˈraɪ.ə/ · n.
It means a person that everyone rejects and avoids. No group wants this person near.
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Example sentences
- She spoke out, and became a pariah at work.
- He was treated as a pariah after the scandal.
Word origin and roots
from Tamil
- paraiyar — low-caste drummer (from Tamil)
Synonyms and nuances
- OUTCAST (excluded from a social group)
- EXILE (formally banished from a community)
- LEPER (treated as if contaminating by contact)
Lesson notes
Pariah. It means a person that everyone rejects and avoids. No group wants this person near.
Similar words are outcast, exile, and leper. Use pariah when a whole group turns away from one person.
She spoke out, and became a pariah at work. He was treated as a pariah after the scandal.
From Tamil. Paraiyar means low-caste drummer. A low-status drummer pushed away by everyone became a pariah.