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We know about the situation called - exodus. But is there any single word to name the people who are in that exodus? I mean, is there any single word to describe people who are leaving a place in mass for better situation or for any otehr reason?

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    It depends on why they're leaving: migrant, refugee, returnee, etc.
    – Lawrence
    Apr 15, 2020 at 14:42
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    Note that, in another sense, the people of an exodus (especially The Exodus) might be called "wanderers".
    – Hot Licks
    Apr 15, 2020 at 15:26
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    As a group, particularly if they don't all move to the same place, they might be referred to as a diaspora.
    – The Photon
    Apr 15, 2020 at 17:23
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    Exodic dancers.
    – John Lawler
    Apr 15, 2020 at 17:25
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    No one has mentioned the cognate 'exile'?
    – Mitch
    Sep 28 at 13:55

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According to M-W, an exodus is "a mass departure: EMIGRATION", where EMIGRATION means "an act or instance of emigrating : departure from a place of abode, natural home, or country for life or residence elsewhere." This suggests émigré as an appropriate answer. It has the advantage of being more general than words like refugee (one could emigrate for any number of reasons), but like refugee and other words, it need not always connote the idea of a mass departure, although it often does.

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  • In other words, there is no derivative of exodus that can be used for such people; nor any term that would cover everybody who is in any kind of an exodus. These people have to be referred by some term or other that captures the nature of the particular exodus they are in. The term émigré is typically used for those who have emigrated some time ago, rather than those who are currently in the process of emigrating.
    – jsw29
    Oct 7 at 15:20
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I have seen "exodees" used to mean this though I can't recall where. None of the suggested words has precisely that meaning so one is definitely needed.

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