: 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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However, during the hiring process, culture fit is often a mask for justifying unconscious bias—specifically affinity and out-group bias. Dieneria Brown, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025 Jokes create in-groups and out-groups of those who are laughing and those who are not. Lisa Hagen, NPR, 15 Mar. 2025 Psychologists call these categories in-groups and out-groups. Julia Standefer, The Conversation, 14 Mar. 2025 This can create in-group and out-group dynamics, leading to siloed thinking. Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025 Some visions of moral progress look forward to a world in which the in-group/out-group distinction has vanished. Nikhil Krishnan, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024 Just like cults, marketers exploit vulnerabilities, create in-groups and out-groups and play on emotions to drive behavior. Dr. Mara Einstein, Deadline, 29 Nov. 2024 Paradoxically, then, one of the most pro-social (and universally celebrated moral) emotions, represents a clear threat to diversity and inclusion: a group, system, organization, or indeed society that is optimized for empathy will tend to prioritize the in-group over the out-group. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024 Reactionary populists in Brasília, London, Moscow, New Delhi, Stockholm, and Washington will not behave in the same way or adopt the same criteria for drawing boundaries between in- and out-groups. Justin Casey, Foreign Affairs, 19 Jan. 2023

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 20 Aug. 2025.

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