castaway

[ kast-uh-wey, kahst- ]

noun

1. a shipwrecked person.
2. anything cast adrift or thrown away.
3. an outcast.

   Synonyms: leper, outlaw, pariah

adjective

1. cast adrift.
2. thrown away.

castaway

/ ˈkɑːstəˌweɪ /

noun

1. a person who has been shipwrecked
2. something thrown off or away; castoff

adjective

1. shipwrecked or put adrift
2. thrown away or rejected

verb

1. tr, adverb; often passive to cause (a ship, person, etc) to be shipwrecked or abandoned

Word History and Origins

Origin of castaway¹

First recorded in 1520–30; noun, adj. use of verb phrase cast away

Example Sentences

His ancestry is ambiguous, and he is described in the book as "a dark-skinned gipsy" and "a little Lascar, or an American or Spanish castaway".

From BBC

Years later when a shred of aircraft aluminum and the rubber heel from a woman’s shoe were found on an island 400 miles from Earhart’s destination, she was imagined to have been a castaway.

From Los Angeles Times

This show, 46 seasons in and still going strong, returns with the host Jeff Probst and 18 castaways who are headed to Fiji to compete and survive.

From New York Times

He was a contestant on the 32nd season of “Survivor,” where he was voted out on Day 27 with eight castaways remaining.

From Seattle Times

Others speculate that she and Noonan were executed by the Japanese or died as castaways on an island.

From Seattle Times