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Glite Dictionary
to become a leper

to become a leper

9.6
To be avoided by other people because of something bad you did
  • idiom
  • Slur
translation icon : [OFENSIVO] ser tratado como un leproso
  • After the scandal, he became a leper in the community, with former friends refusing to speak to him.

Examples

  • Following his controversial statement, the politician became a leper in his own party.

  • She feared she would become a leper if the truth came out about her mistake.

  • He will become a leper soon.

  • Don't become a leper in your community!

  • After the scandal, he became a leper in the community, with former friends refusing to speak to him.

  • Following his controversial statement, the politician became a leper in his own party.

  • She feared she would become a leper if the truth came out about her mistake.

Synonyms

to ostracize
vsto become a leper
  • US
31 7.7

To leave someone out of a group on purpose

is about being avoided widely due to scandal rather than the act of exclusion
to stigmatize
vsto become a leper
  • US
24 7.5

Treat someone as shameful and not worthy of respect

is being shunned socially after scandal, focusing on exclusion rather than labels
to face ostracism
vsto become a leper
8.5

To be left out and avoided by people in your group

is being shunned widely by society after scandal or controversy

Antonyms

to integrate
75 4.1

To become part of a larger group and take part in its life

How Ostracized

to cast out
31 6.2
to become a leper
  • Slur
9.6
to shun
26 4.6

Surface Forms

become a leper infinitive
became a leper past
become a leper past participle
becoming a leper present participle
becomes a leper third person singular

Morphology

become + a + leper

The meaning is directly derivable from 'become' (change into a state) combined with 'leper' (an outcast who is avoided by others); the phrase simply describes entering the state of being shunned. This is a standard compositional pattern (become + noun) and, given knowledge of the constituents, a B1 learner can infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

The idiom become a leper comes from a time when people with a serious skin disease were called lepers and forced to live outside towns so others would not go near them. So to become a leper today means 'to be avoided or left out by other people'.