marginalize

verb

mar·​gin·​al·​ize ˈmärj-nə-ˌlīz 

ˈmär-jə-nᵊl-ˌīz

marginalized; marginalizing

transitive verb

: to relegate (see relegate sense 2) to an unimportant or powerless position within a society or group

We are protesting policies that marginalize women.

marginalization

ˌmärj-nə-lə-ˈzā-shən 

ˌmär-jə-nᵊl-ə-

noun

Did you know?

Marginalized Writing vs. Marginalized People

Marginalize provides a striking case of how thoroughly the figurative use of a word can take over the literal one. The original (and now obsolete) meaning of this word, “to write notes in the margin of,” is analogous to the still-familiar noun marginalia “marginal notes or embellishments." A margin is, of course, the blank space surrounding the text in a book. Just prior to 1970, marginalize took on the sense that is most commonly encountered today, “to relegate to an unimportant or powerless position” (that is, to the metaphorical margins of society). This use of the word can be found as far back as 1968; an article in The Los Angeles Times from June 20th of that year reports, “[T]he Negro was kept aside, marginalized, thus composing in its large majority the chronically poor.” In its newer sense, marginalize has assumed a much more prominent place in the vocabulary than it once had.

Examples of marginalize in a Sentence

The program helps people from marginalized groups.

Recent Examples on the Web

Today’s China seeks not to marginalize competing groups and belief systems, the way Beijing did during the Mao era, but to co-opt them. —Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2024

The bitter irony is that the U.S., where science has produced so many remarkable new therapies, does such a poor job delivering them equitably to populations that are vulnerable, historically marginalized, and have limited or no access to health services. —Jacob D. Moses and Allan M. Brandt, STAT, 30 May 2024

Tone policing is used to further marginalize and police the behavior of Black women in particular. —Megan Thiele Strong, The Mercury News, 24 May 2024

Trans kids suffer bullying and suicide rates in high numbers, yet Ron DeSantis’ dystopian state created laws to marginalize them. —Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 26 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1968, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

marginalize

verb

mar·​gin·​al·​ize ˈmärj-nəl-ˌīz 

-ən-ᵊl-

marginalized; marginalizing

: to remove to or keep in a position without influence in a society or group

marginalization

ˌmärj-nəl-ə-ˈzā-shən 

-ən-ᵊl-

noun