1
as in exclusion
treatment that is deliberately exclusionary
Teenagers may act against their better judgement to avoid social ostracism.
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2
as in exile
the forced removal from a homeland
His family celebrated his safe return after nearly a decade of political ostracism.
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Recent Examples of ostracism
According to the researchers, the results speak to the complexity of our social interactions and could help inform interventions, not only against ostracism but against conflicts tied to narcissism as well.
—
Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 20 Feb. 2025
And dozens of people—including some bona-fide Communist Party members—accepted jail time and professional ostracism rather than name names.
—Beverly Gage, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
The risks of defiance are often highlighted: ostracism, professional consequences or backlash.
—Sunita Sah, Twin Cities, 9 Mar. 2025
Read More: The Surprising Face of German Anti-Immigration Policies
The biggest target of this ostracism has been the AfD. Even as its public support has grown over the past decade from less than 5% to around 20% in the polls, the party has remained a pariah in Parliament.
—Simon Shuster/berlin, TIME, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ostracism
Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 20 Feb. 2025
And dozens of people—including some bona-fide Communist Party members—accepted jail time and professional ostracism rather than name names.
—Beverly Gage, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
The risks of defiance are often highlighted: ostracism, professional consequences or backlash.
—Sunita Sah, Twin Cities, 9 Mar. 2025
Read More: The Surprising Face of German Anti-Immigration Policies
The biggest target of this ostracism has been the AfD. Even as its public support has grown over the past decade from less than 5% to around 20% in the polls, the party has remained a pariah in Parliament.
—Simon Shuster/berlin, TIME, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ostracism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ostracism
Noun
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The memorandum of coverage for the general liability policy PRISM issued the city includes 28 separate exclusions and dozens of sub-exclusions, at least some of which appear to allow the insurer to limit or avoid paying damages.—
Jeff McDonald,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 June 2025
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Immigration raids, voter suppression laws, and attacks on educational freedom are part of a broader effort to redraw the lines of who belongs in America and to weaponize citizenship as a tool of exclusion.—
Eric K. Ward,
Time,
19 June 2025
Noun
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Until then, death and distance blurred together, letters had stopped but the anticipation of returning and seeing my grandmother again, even as a ghost—that sweet suspension of disbelief that exile allows—must have sustained her.—
Jhumpa Lahiri,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
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The finale of season two — and specifically how the endorphin-releasing Rocky theme tune, Gonna Fly Now, kicked in just as the crowd invaded the pitch to celebrate that non-League exile was over — felt similarly unassailable.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
27 June 2025
Noun
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In a prior essay months ago, Altman talked about job displacement, using the example of the old lamplighter – someone whose job would be to put fire to the streetlamps used in the times before municipal electricity.—
John Werner,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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The strikes come as Gaza endures a deepening humanitarian crisis, with widespread displacement, food shortages, and limited access to medical care.—
Amanda Castro
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 June 2025
Noun
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Abrego Garcia pleaded not guilty on June 13 to smuggling charges that his attorneys have characterized as an attempt to justify his mistaken expulsion to a notorious prison in El Salvador.—
Ben Finley,
Fortune,
27 June 2025
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Nonetheless, Pompeo was frozen out of a job when Trump returned to office—a MAGA expulsion announced by Trump in a social-media post.—
Susan B. Glasser,
New Yorker,
26 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ostracism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostracism. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
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