pariah
10 years ago No Comments

(pronounced peh-RI-uh)

When I saw this word mixed up with “piranha” with great comedic effect in an episode of Modern Family, I new that I had to include it here. As a opposed to being an aggressive, flesh-eating fish living in the waters of South America, a pariah is an outcast — someone who is loathed or rejected by a group. (When you think I about it, it would make sense that piranhas would be pariahs in the fish community…)

Example: Jackson’s condescending comments towards his fellow project team members, in addition to his lack of initiative and poor contributions towards meeting every deadline, not only had landed him on probation within the firm, but had made him a pariah within the office.