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 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
In ancient humans and other primates, reputational damage can bar access to food and mates, incite physical confrontations and, in extreme cases, lead to potentially fatal ostracism.
—Clarissa Brincat, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ostracism
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
In ancient humans and other primates, reputational damage can bar access to food and mates, incite physical confrontations and, in extreme cases, lead to potentially fatal ostracism.
—Clarissa Brincat, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ostracism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ostracism
Noun
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As Michael Cannon of the Cato Institute has documented, the exclusion is roughly as old as the income tax itself, rooted in early Treasury rulings that predated modern health insurance.—
Veronique De Rugy,
Oc Register,
5 Mar. 2026
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The Boulder Valley School District says out of 1,669 students at Broomfield High School, 26 are on their exclusion list and not allowed to attend class.—
Austen Erblat,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Iran had been building that capacity in Iraq since the 1980s, cultivating Shia political networks, exile parties and militia groups during and after the Iran-Iraq War and beyond with the explicit goal of ensuring a post-Saddam Iraq would never again threaten Iranian security.—
Farah N. Jan,
The Conversation,
10 Mar. 2026
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Unlike Gu's mother, Liu's father fled China when he was wanted by the authorities for his involvement in the 1989 student movement that ended with a bloody crackdown in the heart of Beijing and forced many student activists into exile.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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From glass sculptures to abstract collages, the artists grapple with memory, home and survival in the aftermath of displacement.—
Grant Klarich Johnson,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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Syria endured more than a decade of mass violence, displacement and repression during a devastating civil war.—
Arnaud Kurze,
The Conversation,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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They were prominently reported by this newspaper and its predecessors, which contributed to the expulsion of almost all Native Americans from Texas.—
Michael Barnes,
Austin American Statesman,
7 Mar. 2026
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This was the first time demonstrators had called for the group’s expulsion.—
Anand Gopal,
New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
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This season, with two Housewives as Traitors, Gamers Ian Terry, Rob Cesternino, and Yam Yam Arocho were three of the first five murdered, with Tiffany Mitchell an early banishment.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
2 Mar. 2026
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And Tara then wanting to quit the game after Natalie’s banishment?—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ostracism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostracism. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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