marginalize
verb
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Marginalized Writing vs. Marginalized People
Marginalize provides a striking case of how thoroughly the figurative use of a word can take over the literal one. The original (and now obsolete) meaning of this word, “to write notes in the margin of,” is analogous to the still-familiar noun marginalia “marginal notes or embellishments." A margin is, of course, the blank space surrounding the text in a book. Just prior to 1970, marginalize took on the sense that is most commonly encountered today, “to relegate to an unimportant or powerless position” (that is, to the metaphorical margins of society). This use of the word can be found as far back as 1968; an article in The Los Angeles Times from June 20th of that year reports, “[T]he Negro was kept aside, marginalized, thus composing in its large majority the chronically poor.” In its newer sense, marginalize has assumed a much more prominent place in the vocabulary than it once had.
Examples of marginalize in a Sentence
Kaitlyn Huamani, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2024
The contributions of Black artists to country music have been marginalized, minimized, and, in some cases, wholly erased from the genre’s history.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 18 May 2024
Doulas also can significantly improve the outcomes for underserved and marginalized groups.3
What's nore, research shows that postpartum doulas play just as important of a role after delivery as birth doulas do during it.
—Pam Skop, Parents, 15 May 2024
By harnessing the power of education to uplift the most marginalized, GEO offers a pathway to success, providing a blueprint for transforming education nationwide.
—Brianna Kamienski, USA TODAY, 12 May 2024
Hassett has been concerned for some time that the country is drifting toward socialism — the subject of his most recent book — and part of the reason is that too many Americans are economically marginalized and have come to feel that the system doesn’t work to their benefit.
—Michael Steinberger Malcolm Hillgartner Tanya Pérez Steven Szczesniak, New York Times, 8 May 2024
Behaviors and comments that demean people because of their race or ethnicity marginalize them and undermine the values that are fundamental to a civil and safe society.
—Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 6 May 2024
Our goal should be to dismantle a school culture that marginalizes students, and instead create a culture that affirms and centers their Latinx experience.
—Jorge Santos, Parents, 1 May 2024
Still, the criticism of SoCal Asians by those outside of the region comes from the trauma of being marginalized in their communities, Zarsadiaz said.
—Daysia Tolentino, NBC News, 29 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'marginalize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near marginalize
Cite this Entry
“Marginalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/marginalize. Accessed 23 May. 2024.
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marginalize
verb
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