What does castaway mean?
A castaway is a person who has been shipwrecked or otherwise stranded in a remote, often uninhabited place — most famously on a desert island — and must survive alone until rescue. The word derives from the verb phrase 'cast away', meaning to be thrown or washed ashore, and entered English around the early 17th century as maritime exploration made such stories common. Beyond its literal nautical sense, castaway is often used figuratively to describe someone abandoned, isolated, or rejected by society, giving it a poignant, slightly melancholic connotation. It appears constantly in literature and film, from Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe to modern survival narratives, making the lone castaway one of fiction's most powerful archetypes. The word is standard in both British and American English and works comfortably in formal writing and casual conversation alike.
nounA person who has been shipwrecked and stranded in an isolated place, especially a remote island or coast; by extension, anyone abandoned or left to fend for themselves.
- A person shipwrecked and stranded in an isolated place.
- Figuratively, a person rejected or abandoned by society.
"After the storm wrecked their ship, the castaways survived for months on fish and rainwater."
"The novel follows a castaway's struggle for survival on an uninhabited island."
"He felt like a social castaway after moving to a city where he knew no one."
Standard plural; used when referring to multiple shipwreck survivors or figuratively to groups of outcasts.
"The island's castaways built shelters from driftwood and palm leaves."
The word 'castaway' literally means one who has been 'cast away' from a ship — and Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe helped make it one of literature's most enduring archetypes.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of castaway
Castaway comes from the verb phrase 'cast away', meaning to throw away or abandon, formed from Old Norse-derived 'cast' plus the adverb 'away'. It appeared in English in the early 17th century during the age of maritime expansion, when shipwreck survivors stranded on distant shores were a familiar reality. Related words sharing the root 'cast' include forecast, overcast, and broadcast, all built on the same verb of throwing or projecting.
Related word forms
How castaway is actually used
The word carries connotations of isolation and survival, and is frequently used both literally (in accounts of shipwrecks) and figuratively (to describe emotional or social abandonment). It is neutral in register.
Easily confused with castaway
An outcast is someone rejected by society, while a castaway is specifically someone stranded, typically by shipwreck, though it can metaphorically mean someone abandoned.