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marginalization

mar-jin-ul-ih-ZAY-shun /ˌmɑːrdʒɪnələˈzeɪʃən/

nounC1GREIELTS

academicsociologypolitical

Treatment of a person, group, or concept as insignificant or peripheral.

It is a systemic process—pushing people to the 'margins' of society where they have less power and visibility.

The story behind the word. Think of a piece of paper. The most important text is in the center. The 'margins' are the empty edges where you might scribble a small note. To marginalize a group is to treat them like those scribbles—unimportant and outside the main story.

Word relationships

exclusion: Exclusion is the act of leaving someone out; marginalization is the broader process of making them feel insignificant.

inclusion: The action or state of including or being included within a group or structure.
empowerment: The process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one's life and claiming one's rights.

Commonly confused with

oppression: Oppression is active cruelty or injustice; marginalization is often more about being ignored or pushed aside.

Word family

marginalize (verb): To relegate to an unimportant or powerless position within a society or group.
marginalized (adjective): Relegated to the fringes of society.

Collocations

social marginalization
economic marginalization
systemic marginalization

Example sentences

"The marginalization of elderly citizens in modern urban planning often leads to increased social isolation." Sociology
"Marginalization is the process of making a group feel unimportant and powerless." Political Science

Memory hook

Marginalization = putting people in the 'margins' (the edges) of the book of life. Scribbling a note on the very edge of a page.

When not to use

Don't use it for a simple insult; it refers to a broader social or structural exclusion.

Fun facts

In the 19th century, 'marginal' was used in economics to describe the very last unit of a good produced.