the outsider
One who's excluded
The outsider is someone who doesn't belong to a particular group, community, or social circle—viewed from the perspective of those inside.
The definite article suggests a specific figure: the stranger who arrives in town, the newcomer at school, the one who doesn't fit in.
As the outsider, she noticed things the locals took for granted.
The term often carries romantic or sympathetic overtones—the outsider sees what insiders miss, or suffers exclusion they don't deserve.
- strangerPerson not yet known
- alienNon-native being
- fish out of waterOne in alien circumstances
- misfitOne who doesn't fit in
- odd one outItem unlike the rest
looking in · stranger in town · loner · lone wolf · black sheep · pariah · foreigner · intruder · exile · recluse · fringe · isolated · belonging · rejection · exclusion · lonely · observer · detached
- story tropesquest, hero's journey, plot twist, chosen one, red herring
- literary themesheroism, hero's journey, ennui, social realism, morals
the outsiderconfidant
Trusted keeper of secrets
insider trader · trusted ally · keeper of secrets · power broker
the outsiderpower broker
Influential behind-scenes dealmaker
kingmaker · the elite · party loyalist · old boy · organization man
outsider, outsiders, outside, outer, outward, outwardly, outwards, outermost, outing