Synonyms for

Exile

Verb / ˈeˌgzaɪl / / ˈeˌksaɪl / Another word for exile — explore alternatives below. For syllable breakdowns and pronunciation, see this word on Syllablesworld.

Definition

Exile means to be forced to live away from one's home country or community, typically for political reasons or as a punishment.

Synonyms & similar words

deport repatriate deportation deportee expatriation transportation expatriate expat banishment expulsion deportation displacement eviction ostracism emigration dislodgment refuge outcast outlaw renegade expat fugitive emigrant refugee pariah castaway castoff excommunicate

Synonyms by register

Formal

banishment deportation expulsion ostracism

Informal

kicked out sent away booted out

Literary

dispossession outlawry proscription

Antonyms

return welcome arrival repatriation readmittance homecoming

Common collocations

  • live in exile
  • go into exile
  • forced into exile
  • political exile
  • self-imposed exile
  • return from exile
  • exile from home

Word family

noun exile
verb exile
adjective exiled

Usage note

The word 'exile' can refer to the state of being banished or the person who is banished. It often carries a connotation of forced removal, particularly for political reasons.

Example sentences

  1. The politician was exiled from his country for speaking out against the government.
  2. The princess was exiled to a faraway land as punishment for disobeying her father.
  3. Many people were forced to live in exile during the war.
  4. The artist chose to live in self-imposed exile in order to focus on her work.
  5. The refugees had to flee their homeland and live in exile in a foreign country.

Quotes

  • Exile is a dream of a glorious return. Exile is a vision of revolution: Elba, not St. Helena. It is an endless paradox: looking forward by always looking back. - Salman Rushdie
  • Exile is the unhealable rift forced between a human being and a native place, between the self and its true home: its essential sadness can never be surmounted. - Edward Said
  • Exile is strangely compelling to think about but terrible to experience. It is the unhealable rift forced between a human being and a native place, between the self and its true home. - Edward Said

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