outsider
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
a person who is not part of a specific group, community, or organization.
an individual who does not belong to a particular social, professional, or community group.
Simple“As a new employee from a different country, he felt like an outsider during the first week.”
In context“The anthropologist remained an outsider to the tribe, observing their rituals without ever being permitted to participate in the sacred ceremonies.”
- 02 C2 Proficiency
the piece of bread at the very end of a loaf.
the heel or terminal slice of a loaf of bread.
Simple“My grandfather always preferred the outsider of the loaf because it was the crunchiest part.”
In context“In certain northern dialects, the outsider is the most coveted slice of the morning's fresh bake.”
UsageThis sense is highly regional and rarely encountered in standard modern English.
Teacher's tipMost modern speakers use 'heel' or 'crust' for this; students should only learn this for historical or specific regional reading.
“This appears to rule out a popular theory that the mass grave held foreign invaders or other outsiders.”
“Yet in recent years, Igwe says he and other residents became worried when they noticed outsiders arriving to hunt the birds and vulture numbers dwindled.”
From outside + -er.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.