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Definition of ostracize
ostracized
;ostracizing
transitive verb
1 : to exile by ostracism Despite his victories, Themistocles was ostracized by the Athenians.
2 : to exclude from a group by common consent a lonely dissenter, ostracized as an enemy of the people — Robert Brustein
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ostracize was our Word of the Day on 07/15/2016. Hear the podcast!
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Examples of ostracize in a Sentence
She was ostracized from the scientific community for many years because of her radical political beliefs.
The other girls ostracized her because of the way she dressed.
Recent Examples of ostracize from the Web
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Following Bernie Madoff's arrest for what many consider to be the largest Ponzi scheme in history, his wife Ruth fell into relative exile, ostracized by her former social circle, which included many who were duped by her husband's prolific fraud.
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Stroud researched mostly fraternity men, but the impact of having to hide or be ostracized mentality resonates across the NPHC community.
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Awareness of these signs, both literal and invisible, create barriers that shouldn't exist in social spaces — but do and are often ostracizing to those who don't subscribe to a one-size-fits-most lifestyle or environment.
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To some extent, Saudi Arabia’s move to ostracize Qatar can be blamed on [President] Trump’s anti-Iran (and, by implication, anti-Shi’ite) rhetoric during his visit to Riyadh last month.
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Then Qatar was ostracized, so the project was expedited.
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But for years Sunni Muslims living in Shiite Iran have been ostracized, officially and unofficially.
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But unlike Chris Rock, who dodged bags of urine at school in Brooklyn, Maher mostly feared being ostracized.
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Ostracized by her family and discriminated against by potential employers, Vika lives an isolated life in total poverty.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ostracize'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
In ancient Greece, prominent citizens whose power or influence threatened the stability of the state could be exiled by a practice called ostracism. Voters would elect to banish another citizen by writing that citizen's name down on a potsherd. Those receiving enough votes would then be subject to temporary exile from the state (usually for ten years). The English verb ostracize can mean "to exile by the ancient method of ostracism," but these days it usually refers to the general exclusion of one person from a group at the agreement of its members. Ostracism and ostracize derive from the Greek ostrakizein ("to banish by voting with potsherds"). Its ancestor, the Greek ostrakon ("shell" or "potsherd"), also helped to give English the word oyster.
Origin and Etymology of ostracize
Greek ostrakizein to banish by voting with potsherds, from ostrakon shell, potsherd — more at oyster
Other Sociology Terms
OSTRACIZE Defined for English Language Learners
ostracize
playDefinition of ostracize for English Language Learners
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: to not allow (someone) to be included in a group : to exclude (someone) from a group
OSTRACIZE Defined for Kids
ostracize
playDefinition of ostracize for Students
ostracized
;ostracizing
: to shut out of a group After I cheated, I was ostracized by the other players.
Learn More about ostracize
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See words that rhyme with ostracize Spanish Central: Translation of ostracize Nglish: Translation of ostracize for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of ostracize for Arabic speakers
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