mark of Cain

1 9.9

A sign that makes someone look guilty or an outcast

noun
/mɑrk əv keɪn/

Literature

: marca de Caín

To be able to choose—to inherit a culture that breeds autonomy as the greatest good—may be, in certain circumstances, a calamity and a curse, like the mark of Cain.

And remember, he has this mark of the wanderer, mark of Cain.

Examples

In her community, he was seen as having received the mark of Cain for his past mistakes.
Because not only is he the daylighter, but he also has the mark of Cain on him.
He has the mark, the mark of Cain.

The Paperboy (1994)
Mrs. Rosemont, you told Cammie that Johnny had the mark of Cain.

The Paperboy (1994)
Do you think we've been singled out... chosen for some extraordinary moment in life... or are we all cursed with the mark of Cain?

Women in Love (1969)
I leaned against the doorjamb, making excuses to myself, but imagined an indelible mark of Cain on my forehead.

Fiction book (1991)
He felt as though he bore the mark of Cain after being shunned by his friends.
She believed that the mark of Cain would forever label her as an outcast.

Synonyms

scarlet letter

vsmark of Cain

Literature

12 9.4

A mark that shows in public that someone is guilty and causes shame

is broader and not focused only on public social shaming

black mark

vsmark of Cain

10 5.8

A thing that makes people think less of someone

is an explicit symbol used to single out a person for shame

marking

vsmark of Cain

4 3.0

A pattern or sign on something that helps you tell it apart

is specific to showing guilt, shame, or social exclusion rather than neutral identification

brand

vsmark of Cain

2 8.8

A public mark that shows a person is shamed for a bad action

is broader in use and not limited to physical signs

Antonyms

acceptance

106 2.9

Willingness to be friendly to people and ideas that are different

badge of honor

20 3.9

A sign people keep or show because they are proud of something they did

Surface Forms

mark of Cain singular

marks of Cain plural

Morphology

mark + of + Cain

Although 'mark' literally means a sign, the full sense 'a stigma or sign of guilt/outcast' depends on knowledge of the Biblical story of Cain; the meaning cannot be derived from the constituent words alone without that cultural background. A B1 learner who merely knows 'mark' and the name 'Cain' (as a name) would not reliably infer the idiomatic stigma sense, so this expression is culturally specific and opaque.

Etymology

Mark of Cain comes from a Bible story: after Cain killed his brother Abel, God put a mark on Cain to show he was 'guilty' and to make him an 'outcast'. So today the phrase means someone who is seen as 'guilty', 'shamed', or an 'outcast'.