pariah

IPA/pəˈraɪə/
KK[pɚˈaɪə]IPA/pəˈraɪə/

pariah — noun

  • pariahsingular
  • pariahsplural

1. Someone whom a group or society completely rejects and actively avoids — exclude

1.名詞B2
釋義

Someone whom a group or society completely rejects and actively avoids — excluded because of their beliefs, actions, background, or a scandal involving them.

例句

After publicly criticizing the team's leadership, Mei-Lin became a pariah among her coworkers and was excluded from all meetings.

become a pariah among [group]

The former politician was treated as a pariah in his hometown after the corruption scandal broke.

treated as a pariah

同義詞
  • outcast

    Less intense — an outcast may simply not belong; a pariah is actively shunned

  • exile

    Focuses on forced removal from a place; pariah focuses on rejection by people

  • outsider

    Weaker — an outsider may choose to be separate; a pariah does not choose

反義詞
  • insider

    Someone fully accepted within a group

  • member

    Someone who belongs to and is welcomed by a community

文法句型

pariah among [group of people]

treat [someone] as a pariah

become a pariah

social pariah

用法筆記

Stronger than 'outcast' — pariah implies that people actively avoid and shun the person, not merely exclude them from a group.

常見錯誤

❌She felt like a pariah because her friends did not invite her to the party.
✅She became a pariah after betraying the group's trust, and no one would speak to her anymore.
💡Pariah implies total rejection and avoidance, not just temporary social exclusion.

2. Any country or government rejected by the international community and treated as

2.名詞C1
釋義

Any country or government rejected by the international community and treated as an outsider, usually because its actions — such as human rights abuses, aggression, or supporting terrorism — are considered unacceptable.

例句

North Korea has remained a pariah state for decades, cut off from most of the international community.

pariah state collocation

The regime's aggressive actions turned the country into a global pariah under sweeping trade sanctions.

global pariah collocation

同義詞
  • rogue state

    Suggests dangerous or unpredictable behaviour beyond mere isolation

  • isolated nation

    Neutral description that does not carry the same emotional weight as pariah

反義詞
  • ally

    A nation that cooperates with and is accepted by others

  • partner

    A country with established diplomatic and economic relationships

文法句型

pariah state

international pariah

global pariah

pariah regime

用法筆記

Commonly appears in news and political analysis in the fixed collocations 'pariah state' and 'international pariah'. Often paired with a reason clause explaining why the country is isolated.

常見錯誤

❌The country was a pariah because of its low GDP.
✅The country became a pariah after violating international human rights treaties.
💡Pariah implies moral or political rejection, not economic underdevelopment.

3. A historical term describing someone belonging to a low-status social group (cas

3.名詞C2
釋義

A historical term describing someone belonging to a low-status social group (caste) in southern India. This label is today widely regarded as offensive and outdated — modern usage should refer to specific caste names or use neutral phrases such as 'historically marginalized caste group'.

例句

British colonial officials in nineteenth-century India sometimes referred to lower-caste workers as pariahs, a label now recognized as deeply offensive.

historical usage note

Dictionaries mark the caste meaning of 'pariah' as offensive because of its history of discriminatory use.

用法筆記

Do not use this sense in modern writing. It reflects colonial-era categorization and carries a history of discrimination. Use neutral alternatives such as 'person from a historically marginalized caste' or the specific community's name.