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
The press feasted on Duesberg’s self-portrayal as the victim of ostracism arising from professional jealousies — a target of cancel culture before that was a thing.
—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
The family struggled with ostracism and loneliness.
—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
1 Dec. 2025
Dissenting opinion brings ostracism, loss of work and grants and friendships.
—
Sal Rodriguez,
Oc Register,
19 Sep. 2025
But this ostracism has also been felt more widely across Israeli society, including among the large numbers of Israelis who oppose the war.
—
Ruth Margalit,
New Yorker,
18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ostracism
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
The family struggled with ostracism and loneliness.
—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
1 Dec. 2025
Dissenting opinion brings ostracism, loss of work and grants and friendships.
—
Sal Rodriguez,
Oc Register,
19 Sep. 2025
But this ostracism has also been felt more widely across Israeli society, including among the large numbers of Israelis who oppose the war.
—
Ruth Margalit,
New Yorker,
18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ostracism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ostracism
Noun
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Those findings suggest that workplace exclusion is more common—and more consequential—than many people realize.
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Because exclusion was often the defining reality of American life, economic empowerment frequently required succeeding in systems that were not designed to accommodate Black aspirations.
Noun
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Bauer remains in professional exile following a league suspension that permanently altered the trajectory of his career.
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In 1619, the Calvinists outlawed their practices, driving adherents underground or into exile.
Noun
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Yale, a key champion of the quantum effort and an economic anchor in New Haven, has often found itself at the center of local discussions around displacement, gentrification and inequity.
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An image may resonate with deeper meanings (that’s what great directors can bring about), but the compression and displacement that make the simile devastating on the page have no cinematic equivalent.
Noun
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The poems explore themes of loss, identity, artmaking and the natural world, as well as the 1885 expulsion of Chinese immigrants from Eureka, California.
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The flight or expulsion of 850,000 Jews from countries across the Middle East is a story that still too often rests in silence, but even when it is told, the ideology that caused it is seldom named.
Noun
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Sore from the torment of her family’s banishment, Espinoza feels the pulse of current events.
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The appeals court ruled in September 2025 that Mid Vermont Christian must be allowed to participate in state athletics, after two years of banishment had passed.
Cite this Entry
“Ostracism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostracism. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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