pariah

[ puh-rahy-uh ]
See synonyms for: pariahpariahs on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. an outcast.

  2. any person or animal that is generally despised or avoided.

  1. Pariah . a member of a low caste in southern India and Myanmar (Burma).

Origin of pariah

1
First recorded in 1605–15; from Tamil paṟaiyar, plural of paṟaiyan literally, “drummer” (from a hereditary duty of the caste), derivative of paṟai “festival drum”

Other words from pariah

  • pa·ri·ah·dom, noun
  • pa·ri·ah·ism, noun

Words Nearby pariah

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use pariah in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pariah

pariah

/ (pəˈraɪə, ˈpærɪə) /


noun
  1. a social outcast

  2. (formerly) a member of a low caste in South India

Origin of pariah

1
C17: from Tamil paraiyan drummer, from parai drum; so called because members of the caste were the drummers at festivals

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for pariah

pariah

[ (puh-reye-uh) ]


An outcast; a member of a low caste or class.

Notes for pariah

The word originally stems from the caste system of India, which put pariahs in a very low place in society. In the United States, it refers to those of low social class or social status.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.