outsider
One without membership
An outsider is someone who doesn't belong to a particular group—whether by circumstance, choice, or exclusion.
The term can be neutral (an outsider's perspective on the dispute) or carry connotations of rejection (She always felt like an outsider at school).
In competitions, an outsider is a contestant considered unlikely to win: The outsider came from behind to take the race.
One living abroad permanently
- immigrantOne who resettles abroad
- emigrantPerson resettling in another nation
- refugeePerson fleeing danger abroad
- exileBanishment from homeland
diaspora · tourist · visitor · sojourner · settler · transplant · deportee · naturalization
Shunned, rejected person
- pariahRejected, shunned person
- rejectDismiss as unsuitable
- misfitOne who doesn't fit in
- marginalizedPushed to society's edges
ostracized · blacklisted · shunned · exiled · banished · untouchable · scapegoat · leper
Authority defier
- maverickIndependent-minded rule-breaker
- iconoclastAttacker of cherished beliefs
- dissidentOpposer of established systems
- eccentricUnconventional in character
bohemian · beatnik · misfit · oddball · weirdo · freethinker · individualist · unconventional
Lacking specialized knowledge
- unaffiliatedNot formally connected
- independentFree from external control
- newcomerRecent arrival somewhere
- noviceInexperienced newcomer to field
layperson · civilian · amateur · nonparticipant · gatecrasher · interloper · intruder · trespasser
One who avoids company
- hermitPerson choosing total seclusion
- recluseOne choosing isolation
- introvertOne who turns inward
- solitaryExisting alone, apart
withdrawn · isolated · antisocial · reclusive · detached · aloof · standoffish · unsociable
Something unexplained or unknown
- enigmaSomething hard to fathom
- dark-horseUnlikely but possible winner
- wild-cardUnpredictable variable factor
- underdogPresumed loser beforehand
Observer at an event
- onlookerPerson who observes
- bystanderOne who observes nearby
- witnessOne who attests
- watcherOne who observes
voyeur · fly-on-the-wall · looker-on · viewer · eyewitness · audience · third-party · impartial
expatriate
One living abroad permanently
- immigrantOne who resettles abroad
- emigrantPerson resettling in another nation
- refugeePerson fleeing danger abroad
exile · diaspora · tourist · visitor · sojourner · settler · transplant · deportee · naturalization · citizenship
outcast
Shunned, rejected person
marginalized · ostracized · blacklisted · shunned · exiled · banished · untouchable · scapegoat · leper · unwelcome
rebel
Authority defier
- maverickIndependent-minded rule-breaker
- iconoclastAttacker of cherished beliefs
- dissidentOpposer of established systems
eccentric · bohemian · beatnik · misfit · oddball · weirdo · freethinker · individualist · unconventional · nonconformity
uninitiated
Lacking specialized knowledge
- unaffiliatedNot formally connected
- independentFree from external control
- newcomerRecent arrival somewhere
novice · layperson · civilian · amateur · nonparticipant · gatecrasher · interloper · intruder · trespasser · crasher
loner
One who avoids company
solitary · withdrawn · isolated · antisocial · reclusive · detached · aloof · standoffish · unsociable · homebody
mystery
Something unexplained or unknown
- enigmaSomething hard to fathom
- dark-horseUnlikely but possible winner
- wild-cardUnpredictable variable factor
underdog · sleeper · unexpected · unpredictable · x-factor
spectator
Observer at an event
watcher · voyeur · fly-on-the-wall · looker-on · viewer · eyewitness · audience · third-party · impartial
- identityidentity, personal identity, self, selfhood, self-expression
- informal rolesleader, follower, peacemaker, troublemaker, mediator
- Nonconformistsnonconformist, rebels, rebel, misfits, misfit
- outoutdoor, outdoors, outward, exterior, exit
- outcastsoutcast, pariah, pariahs, outcasts, outlaws
- social exclusionclique, in-group, inner circle, exclusion, ostracism
outsiderinsider
One with confidential access
member · one of us · initiate · affiliate · participant
- go outsideLeave enclosed space
- outside worldReality beyond one's space
- outside the boxBeyond conventional boundaries