: a group that is distinct from one's own and so usually an object of hostility or dislike compare in-group sense 1

Examples of out-group in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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That same exclusivity creates in-groups and out-groups, widening divides among employees. Teresa Hopke, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026 The sense of a cultural in- and out-group dissolved as niche communities grew and old-school ideas of coolness fell away. Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 8 May 2026 Would that kind of thing have seemed funny at the time, or maybe a clever way to avoid a topic either too personal or too fraught for out-group consumption? Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026 Such tangible essentialism can give groups a concentrated sense of purpose and meaning—and may be coupled with a powerful urge to persecute members of out-groups. Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2026 Posting is a method of enacting a degraded version of that much-vaunted thing, community, with its ever-changing roster of winners and losers, in-groups and out-groups, and mean girls and sweet guys. Paul McAdory, Them., 9 Dec. 2025 Jokes create in-groups and out-groups of those who are laughing and those who are not. Lisa Hagen, NPR, 15 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of out-group was in 1906

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Cite this Entry

“Out-group.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/out-group. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.

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