outsider
noun/ˌaʊtˈsaɪdəɹ/
Etymology From outside + -er.
1
One who is not part of a community or organization.
- While the initiated easily understand the symbols, they are wholly inaccessible to outsiders.
- I'm an outsider by choice, but not truly. It's the unpleasantness of the system that keeps me out. I'd rather be in, in a good system. That's where my discontent comes from: being forced to choose to stay outside.2004, George Carlin, “Preface”, in When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?, New York: Hyperion Books, →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL, page https://archive.org/details/whenwilljesusbri00hype/page/n14/:
2 more examples
- We were not a big huggie family so I was very, very encased in a little stay-away-from-me shell growing-up, and here I got to open up and feel safe and able to touch and hold and be able to be with another human being, which was really a big relief, a very positive part of my understanding of myself that I wasn't just this outcast evil outsider of everything.2019, Victor C. de Munck, Romantic Love in America, page 152:
- We are the only outsiders here, granted exclusive access and a private tour as the first major US news organization allowed inside Cecot late last month.2024 November 6, David Culver, Abel Alvarado, Evelio Contreras and Rachel Clarke, “Exclusive: Locking eyes with mass murderers in El Salvador”, in CNN:
2
A newcomer with little or no experience in an organization or community.
- Seeing the mess professional politicians have made of things is it any wonder the electorate is beginning to prefer outsiders?
- These worlds have always belonged to us, from the moment our ancestors saw them through ancient telescopes. We claimed them when our first explorers reached the stars, and they remained our worlds even after the Scourge divided us in darkness. Outsiders have no right to these treasures, and true angara must stand ready to defend our birthright.2017, BioWare, Mass Effect: Andromeda (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Legacy:
3
A competitor or contestant who has little chance of winning; a long shot.
- Johnny was an outsider at this year's karate tournament, but he still managed to win second place out of sheer determination.
4
Rare The heel or end piece of a loaf of bread.
- Derived terms
- outsider art, outsider artist, outsiderdom, outsiderhood, outsiderish, outsiderism, outsiderly, outsider music, outsider musician, outsiderness, rank outsider
- Related terms
- outsiders