verworpenen

Verworpenen is a Dutch noun phrase meaning "the rejected" and is used to refer collectively to people who have been rejected or marginalized by a group, institution, or society. It arises from the verb verworpen, the past participle of verwerpen (to reject), with the suffix -en forming a plural noun. A well-known literary use is the phrase de verworpenen der aarde, meaning "the outcasts of the earth."

In linguistic and cultural contexts, verworpenen is typically used as a substantive, usually preceded by the definite article de, and is not capitalized except at the start of a sentence. It can appear in religious, political, or literary discourse to denote marginalized groups or individuals who are stigmatized or excluded.

The term is not a formal sociological category, and its exact connotations depend on context. In modern usage, verworpenen is more common in historical or rhetorical writing than in contemporary everyday Dutch, but it may still be found in poetry, sermons, or discussions of social exclusion.

Related concepts include verworpen (the past participle used adjectively), ostracism, marginalization, and outcast. See also verworpene (singular usage in some phrases) and verloopt in discussions of rejection.