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 verb 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
Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
These are people who are then marginalized to the peripheries, where a more human, normal daily life remains.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 25 Sep. 2025
As Semafor reported last week, the administration’s new global health strategy is aimed at using public health spending to boost bilateral relationships, potentially marginalizing lower-profile multilateral organizations like Africa’s CDC.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2025
The three women, who have all been marginalized for different reasons, begin to connect with the spiritual forces of the earth using the power of sound and vibration.
—Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 21 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for marginalize
Cite this Entry
“Marginalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/marginalize. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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marginalize
verb
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