A person who does not belong to or is not accepted by a particular group or community. Someone external to a situation or organization who lacks inside knowledge or influence.
Formed in English from 'outside' plus the suffix '-er' in the early 19th century. Originally used in horse racing to describe a horse with little chance of winning, it expanded to describe anyone on the margins of social groups.
The concept of the outsider became central to 20th-century art and literature, from Camus's philosophical 'stranger' to the romantic notion of the outsider artist whose very alienation enables unique creative vision. Paradoxically, celebrating outsiders has become so mainstream that being an 'outsider' is now almost a cultural brand.
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