Meaning & use
social pariah
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountabledisapproving
A person who is shunned by other people and treated as unwelcome in normal social life.
Grammar: Usually used with a/the: become a social pariah.
Patterns
- become a social pariah
- treated as a social pariah
After the scandal, he became a social pariah in the village.
She felt like a social pariah when nobody sat with her at lunch.
Anyone who broke the rules was treated as a social pariah.
nouncountablefigurative
A group, organization or country that others refuse to deal with.
Grammar: Can describe states or companies, not just individuals.
Patterns
- a social pariah in something
The company became a social pariah among investors.
Smokers were once treated as social pariahs in offices.
The country was a social pariah after the invasion.
Word forms
| plural | social pariahs |
|---|
Common combinations
- become a social pariah
- He risked becoming a social pariah if the truth came out.
- treated like a social pariah
- She was treated like a social pariah at work.
- a virtual social pariah
- After the lie, he was a virtual social pariah.
- make someone a social pariah
- The accusation made her a social pariah.
- social pariahs
- Social pariahs often struggle to find work.
Synonyms and how they differ
- outcast
- Outcast stresses being driven out of a group, while social pariah suggests being avoided and looked down on.
- outsider
- Outsider is milder and means simply not belonging, without active rejection.
- leper
- Leper is used figuratively for someone people avoid, but it can offend, so social pariah is safer.
- persona non grata
- Persona non grata is more formal and often official, whereas social pariah is about everyday rejection.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: social pariah or parasite?
social pariah vs parasite
A parasite lives off another creature and sounds similar, but it is not about being rejected.
Practice
After he lied to his friends for years, nobody would talk to him, and he became a ____.
Choose one answer.
A social pariah is someone shunned by others, which fits the story. A social butterfly is the opposite, and a social worker is a profession.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “social pariah”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.