Castaway/ˈkæstəweɪ/ Definition 1 of 3Pro Tip 1/3Survival Scenario Refers to extreme situations where someone is left to endure alone in an isolated environment. Survival shows often feature a castaway scenario. Pro Tip 2/3Adventure Stories Commonly used in stories of survival and adventure to highlight human resilience. Robinson Crusoe is a classic tale of a castaway. Pro Tip 3/3Literal Use Used literally to describe someone stranded, not metaphorically for feeling alone. The sailors were castaways after the shipwreck.