Word: pariah (noun)

Associations

"Pariah" means a person who is rejected or avoided by others. It often refers to someone who is socially outcast or shunned.

• Example 1: After the scandal, he became a pariah in his community. (People avoided him because of what he did.)
• Example 2: The character in the story was treated as a pariah because of his different beliefs. (Others did not accept him.)
• Example 3: Sometimes, new ideas make someone a pariah before they are accepted. (People reject what is new at first.) A synonym is "outcast," but "pariah" often has a stronger feeling of being completely rejected, sometimes by a whole society.

Substitution

You can use words like "outcast," "reject," or "untouchable" instead of "pariah."

• "Outcast" is more general and can mean anyone excluded.
• "Untouchable" is very strong and comes from a specific social system in India.
• "Reject" focuses more on being refused or not accepted. Using these changes the tone or the reason for rejection slightly.

Deconstruction

The word "pariah" comes from Tamil, a language from South India. It originally meant a member of a low social caste, someone outside the main society.

• No prefix or suffix in English; it is borrowed as a whole. Knowing this helps understand why it means someone socially rejected.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a time when someone might feel like a pariah at school or work?
• How does being a pariah affect a person's feelings or behavior?
• Are there situations where someone might become a pariah unfairly? Why?