Leper

//ˈlɛpɚ// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A person who has leprosy, a person suffering from Hansen's disease.
  2. 2
    a pariah who is avoided by others wordnet
  3. 3
    Synonym of outcast: A person who is shunned, a pariah. figuratively
  4. 4
    a person afflicted with leprosy wordnet
Verb
  1. 1
    To afflict with leprosy. archaic
  2. 2
    Synonym of infect. archaic, figuratively
  3. 3
    Synonym of disfigure. archaic, figuratively
  4. 4
    Synonym of taint. archaic, figuratively
  5. 5
    Synonym of ostracize. archaic, figuratively

Example

More examples

"Italy has snapped back at Greece's designs, saying blacklisting countries and travelers isn't fair, and that Italy would not allow itself to be viewed and treated as what one leading official called "a leper colony.""

Etymology

From Middle English lepre, leprosy, from Old French [Term?], from Latin leprae, lepra, from Ancient Greek λέπρα (lépra).

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.