EXILE Synonyms: 70 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

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.

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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

Example 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

Their exile effectively eliminated political opposition in the city, sending a lasting message to anyone who might seek to challenge the white regime. — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 3 July 2026 Lara, who was eight years old when his father was killed, subsequently went into exile in Europe with the rest of his family, and spent several years away before returning to Colombia. — CBS News, 29 June 2026

Verb

If Sorsby was caught betting on his own team back in these days, the NCAA probably would have exiled him to Mongolia, but times have changed. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026 Nicaragua’s government has also imprisoned adversaries, religious leaders, journalists and more, then exiled them, stripping hundreds of their citizenship and possessions. — Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for exile

Recent Examples of Synonyms for exile

Noun

Accra’s 1969 migrant expulsion and Uganda’s mass ban three years later both triggered capital flight and supply chain chaos.

— Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 1 July 2026
The poems explore themes of loss, identity, artmaking and the natural world, as well as the 1885 expulsion of Chinese immigrants from Eureka, California.

— Suzanne Van Atten, AJC.com, 21 June 2026

Definition of expulsion

Noun

Court bars asylum claims before refugees enter US Alito wrote another decision June 25 for a 6-3 majority that allowed the administration to turn back refugees at the border.

— Bart Jansen, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Cathryn Miller-Wilson is executive director of HIAS Pennsylvania, a refugee agency that serves about 6,000 clients a year.

— Madeleine Wright, CBS News, 30 June 2026

Definition of refugee

Noun

But the court also said the people facing deportation must pursue their cases individually where they are being held, under what are called habeas petitions, rather than collectively, under what is called a class action.

— Bart Jansen, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Nearly half of all respondents in deportation proceedings filed in California courts do not have legal representation, according to TRAC data.

— Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026

Definition of deportation

Verb

The money comes from a $250 million trust fund set up by the Legislature to help cover the expenses incurred by law enforcement agencies working to meet a new state mandate to assist the federal government in rounding up and deporting immigrants.

— Jeffrey Schweers, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 July 2026
Pineda and her son are now in Venezuela after the family was deported, and her husband is dead.

— Laura Romero, ABC News, 3 July 2026

Definition of deport

Verb

Prosecutors said the children were then transported to El Paso after crossing the border.

— Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026
McConnell was found unconscious the morning of June 14 and transported to a local hospital in an Advanced Life Support ambulance, according to Punchbowl News and the New York Post.

— Antonio Pequeño IV, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

Definition of transport

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exiguous

exile

exiled

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“Exile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exile. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of exile

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