1
as in exclusion
treatment that is deliberately exclusionary
Teenagers may act against their better judgement to avoid social ostracism.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in exile
the forced removal from a homeland
His family celebrated his safe return after nearly a decade of political ostracism.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples of ostracism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Many students now hide their Jewish identity to have a more normal social life on campus, while others immerse themselves in the Jewish community to avoid ostracism.
—
Jeffrey Koseff, Washington Post, 8 July 2024
Advertisement At the height of the nation’s struggle of conscience over the Vietnam War, that decision had multiple possible consequences for a young man: ostracism by friends and family, loss of employment opportunities, and lifetime stigma as being unpatriotic or worse — a coward.
—Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2024
But many of these laws focus on prohibiting forced conversion, including by threat of violence, invoking divine displeasure, and promising social ostracism if somebody refuses to convert.
—Arundhati Katju, Foreign Affairs, 23 Dec. 2020
For gay men and women, 1950s conformity enforced by McCarthyism meant that the revelation of their sexuality could lead to financial ruin, ostracism and even worse.
—Lorraine Berry, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for ostracism 
Jeffrey Koseff, Washington Post, 8 July 2024
Advertisement At the height of the nation’s struggle of conscience over the Vietnam War, that decision had multiple possible consequences for a young man: ostracism by friends and family, loss of employment opportunities, and lifetime stigma as being unpatriotic or worse — a coward.
—Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2024
But many of these laws focus on prohibiting forced conversion, including by threat of violence, invoking divine displeasure, and promising social ostracism if somebody refuses to convert.
—Arundhati Katju, Foreign Affairs, 23 Dec. 2020
For gay men and women, 1950s conformity enforced by McCarthyism meant that the revelation of their sexuality could lead to financial ruin, ostracism and even worse.
—Lorraine Berry, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for ostracism
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ostracism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to ostracism
Thesaurus Entries Near ostracism
Cite this Entry
“Ostracism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostracism. Accessed 16 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share