EXILE Synonyms: 69 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'exile' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of exile are banish , deport , and transport . While all these words mean "to remove by authority from a state or country," exile may imply compulsory removal or an enforced or voluntary absence from one's own country. // a writer who exiled himself for political reasons

Q: When would 'banish' be a good substitute for 'exile'?

The synonyms banish and exile are sometimes interchangeable, but banish implies compulsory removal from a country not necessarily one's own. // banished for seditious activities

Q: When is 'deport' a more appropriate choice than 'exile'?

Although the words deport and exile have much in common, deport implies sending out of the country an alien who has illegally entered or whose presence is judged inimical to the public welfare. // illegal aliens will be deported

Q: When might 'transport' be a better fit than 'exile'?

The words transport and exile can be used in similar contexts, but transport implies sending a convicted criminal to an overseas penal colony. // a convict who was transported to Australia

exile 1 of 2

noun

ˈeg-ˌzī(-ə)l

Definition of exile next

as in expulsion

the forced removal from a homeland the exile of French settlers from Nova Scotia resulted in the birth of the Cajun community in the U.S.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in refugee

a person forced to emigrate for political reasons after being overthrown in a coup, the dictator spent the remainder of his life as an exile in a string of less-than-welcoming countries

Synonyms & Similar Words

exile

2 of 2

verb

as in to banish

to force to leave a country with their conquest of the Moors complete, Ferdinand and Isabella next exiled the Jews from Spain

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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How does the verb exile contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of exile are banish, deport, and transport. While all these words mean "to remove by authority from a state or country," exile may imply compulsory removal or an enforced or voluntary absence from one's own country.

a writer who exiled himself for political reasons

When would banish be a good substitute for exile?

The synonyms banish and exile are sometimes interchangeable, but banish implies compulsory removal from a country not necessarily one's own.

banished for seditious activities

When is deport a more appropriate choice than exile?

Although the words deport and exile have much in common, deport implies sending out of the country an alien who has illegally entered or whose presence is judged inimical to the public welfare.

illegal aliens will be deported

When might transport be a better fit than exile?

The words transport and exile can be used in similar contexts, but transport implies sending a convicted criminal to an overseas penal colony.

a convict who was transported to Australia

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of exile

Noun

In addition to exploring Sosa’s meteoric rise from the South Side of Chicago to viral fame, the documentary is slated to delve further into his exile from the city and eventual return to Chicago. —

Michael Saponara, Billboard, 15 Oct. 2024 The next Asian Games - boasting more sports and athlete quotas than the Olympics - will be held less than two years before the Los Angeles Games, where cricket will end a 128-year Olympic exile. —

Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024

Verb

After Trump lost the 2020 election and tried to overturn the results, many Republicans as well as Democrats believed that the ex-President, defeated and exiled back to Mar-a-Lago, was finished. —

Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2024 Cheney was the top Republican on the House panel that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, earning Trump’s disdain and effectively exiling herself from her own party. —

Express-News Digital Team, San Antonio Express-News, 3 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for exile

Recent Examples of Synonyms for exile

Noun

India also ordered the expulsion of Canadian diplomats.

Fox News, Fox News, 30 Oct. 2024
The Critics Jury Prize went to No Other Land, the documentary by a collective of Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers that examines the lives of Palestinian villagers in the West Bank who face an expulsion order from the Israeli army.

Matthew Carey, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2024