ostracised
Cast out deliberately
Ostracised is the British spelling of ostracized—excluded from a group or community, shunned socially.
The word comes from ancient Athens, where citizens voted to banish someone by writing names on pottery shards (ostraka).
Modern use is usually figurative: She was ostracised by her former friends after the scandal.
The exclusion may be formal or informal, but the sense of collective rejection remains central.
Rejected, shunned person
- untouchableExempt from criticism or harm
- leperOne shunned for illness
- exileBanishment from homeland
- castawayShipwrecked and stranded person
reject · outsider · outcast · persona non grata · black sheep · scapegoat · waif · stray
Officially removed or banished
- banishedForced to leave permanently
- exiledForced from one's country
- excommunicatedOfficially cut from church
- deportedOfficially expelled abroad
ejected · cast out · thrown out · driven out · evicted · disbarred · debarred · barred
Separated by emotional distance
- disownedRejected familial ties
- disinheritedExcluded from inheritance
- forsakenCompletely abandoned or discarded
- abandonedLeft behind completely
rejected · renounced · repudiated · disavowed · cut off · written off · cast aside · discarded
Deprived of voting rights
- sidelinedRemoved from participation
- overlookedNot noticed or considered
- neglectedNot given proper attention
- voicelessHaving no voice
invisible · underrepresented · peripheral · dismissed · discounted · unheard · disregarded · pushed aside
Made to feel disgrace
- brandedMarked by hot iron
- disgracedBrought into shame
- dishonoredBrought shame upon
- vilifiedSpoke evil of
denigrated · defamed · scorned · condemned · reviled · tarnished · discredited · humiliated
pariah
Rejected, shunned person
- untouchableExempt from criticism or harm
- leperOne shunned for illness
- exileBanishment from homeland
castaway · reject · outsider · outcast · persona non grata · black sheep · scapegoat · waif · stray · misfit
expelled
Officially removed or banished
- banishedForced to leave permanently
- exiledForced from one's country
- excommunicatedOfficially cut from church
deported · ejected · cast out · thrown out · driven out · evicted · disbarred · debarred · barred · proscribed
estranged
Separated by emotional distance
- disownedRejected familial ties
- disinheritedExcluded from inheritance
- forsakenCompletely abandoned or discarded
abandoned · rejected · renounced · repudiated · disavowed · cut off · written off · cast aside · discarded · severed
disenfranchised
Deprived of voting rights
- sidelinedRemoved from participation
- overlookedNot noticed or considered
- neglectedNot given proper attention
voiceless · invisible · underrepresented · peripheral · dismissed · discounted · unheard · disregarded · pushed aside · powerless
shamed
Made to feel disgrace
- brandedMarked by hot iron
- disgracedBrought into shame
- dishonoredBrought shame upon
vilified · denigrated · defamed · scorned · condemned · reviled · tarnished · discredited · humiliated · marked
- social ostracismExclusion from group membership