as in criticizing
to not allow (someone) to be included in a group; to exclude (someone) from a group
She was ostracized by the scientific community for many years because of her radical political beliefs. The other girls ostracized her because of the way she dressed.
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Recent Examples of ostracizing
While going on a spiel about the pitfalls of ostracizing family members for voting MAGA, the TV personality pivoted to his personal experience.
—
Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 21 Nov. 2025
By focusing so much on the Jewish people and the Jewish state, these provocateurs have a much broader goal in mind than merely ostracizing America's small Jewish minority.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 21 Nov. 2025
By focusing so much on the Jewish people and the Jewish state, these provocateurs have a much broader goal in mind than merely ostracizing America's small Jewish minority.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ostracizing
Verb
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In March, Warren led the Massachusetts delegation in a letter to the State Department criticizing the administration’s lack of preparation in terms of evacuating Americans and pressing for answers on its response.—
Justin Papp,
CNBC,
28 May 2026
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The agreement was immediately challenged in Kenya’s High Court, with opponents criticizing it for unfavorable terms.—
Larry Madowo,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Verb
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At times, though, Gordon’s decision-making in the attacking third and in front of goal can be lacking.—
Graham Ruthven,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
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Brookline Fire says one employee suffered minor burn injuries, and a firefighter got a laceration while attacking the fire.—
Mike Sullivan,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
Verb
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The song, and its accompanying video featuring Bryan dancing on a dock, was ripped online, and launched a string of comments denouncing the track — about, yep, fishing and hunting, golfing and drinking — as the product of a large language model.—
Jonathan Bernstein,
Rolling Stone,
30 May 2026
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Unlike the polished restraint of traditional beauty advertising, her monologue denouncing ageism is unfiltered and unapologetic.—
Alison Bringé,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ostracizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostracizing. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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