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
John Kruzel, USA Today, 22 Nov. 2025
This turns topics that could leave students feeling marginalized, silenced or preached to into opportunities for meaningful connection.
—Matthew J. Mayhew, The Conversation, 17 Nov. 2025
Historically, beauty standards have been used to reinforce social hierarchies and maintain power structures, marginalizing people who don’t fit the societal standards.
—Akilah Sailers, Essence, 29 Oct. 2025
The result will not be to marginalize the far right but give it further ammunition; this in turn will alienate Europe’s existing population of migrant origin and undermine social cohesion.
—Jonathan Portes, Time, 29 Oct. 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 25 Nov. 2025.
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marginalize
verb
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