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.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

Synonym Chooser

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

Born in Nazareth to a Palestinian family forced into exile in 1948, Abbass began her acting career at the Palestinian National Theatre El-Hakawati in East Jerusalem, which Israeli authorities frequently closed. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026 Salazar, a daughter of Cuban exiles and a former broadcast journalist with a keen sense for the dramatic, represents a Republican-leaning Miami-area district that is roughly 74% Hispanic. — Michael Vasquez, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2026

Verb

The outlet notes that at the same referendum, male heirs of Italy’s last king (aka sons of the Savoy family) were exiled and barred from ever entering the country. — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 20 Sep. 2026 Meaningful opposition is effectively nonexistent in Russia, with critics either barred, in jail or exiled abroad. — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for exile

Recent Examples of Synonyms for exile

Noun

For those who remained, citizenship became a form of insurance against expulsion; once they were designated as citizens of Israel, their removal became legally much more difficult.

— Tamir Sorek, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026
The cases are then reviewed by a panel of faculty and staff, which can impose punishments ranging from verbal warnings to suspension or expulsion.

— Casey Tolan, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of expulsion

Verb

To help banish the endless procrastination, National Geographic’s 2027 list of 25 must-visit destinations for the year ahead is one of its most timely and experience-driven recommendations yet.

— Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
The Industry actress was banished from Season 2 of The Celebrity Traitors last week and has reflected on her experience on the Studio Lambert series in an Instagram post.

— Jake Kanter, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of banish

Noun

And Wendy is one of many older siblings who are now taking care of younger family members after their parents' deportation, advocacy groups said.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
Eight years ago, protesters frequently drove coverage in their preferred direction by disrupting candidates (Movimiento Cosecha pushed Biden to endorse a deportation moratorium, for instance) and showing up to press them at Q&As.

— David Weigel, semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of deportation

Verb

Garver struggled offensively in Seattle compared with his time in Texas and was relegated to a backup role behind catcher Cal Raleigh.

— Ryan Canfield OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Instead, he’s often relegated to the role of good-faith interlocutor, trying his best to get to the truth of who Holmes and Evans are, the nature of their relationship, and their motivations for participating in this project.

— Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of relegate

Verb

In fact, the state would soon be burning through more than $1 million a day to operate the compound of tents and trailers, which ultimately helped process and deport more than 20,000 people, according to DeSantis.

— Kate Payne, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2026
Emma wakes up every day not knowing whether she and her family will be deported.

— Hannah Harshe, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of deport

Verb

The bus transports people from Kyiv to the National Military Memorial Cemetery.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026
She was arrested for selling and transporting marijuana in 1993, and agreed to act as a confidential informant for Arizona law enforcement.

— Kerry Breen, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of transport

Browse Nearby Words

exiguous

exile

exiled

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Exile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exile. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of exile

noun

verb

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on exile

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

grotesque

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes