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marginalize

MAR-jin-uh-lize /ˈmɑːr.dʒɪ.nə.laɪz/

verbC1GRESATTOEFL

academicjournalistic

To treat a person, group, or concept as insignificant, peripheral, or powerless.

Implies pushing someone to the figurative edges (margins) of society, influence, or attention.

The story behind the word. From Latin 'margo' (border). Just as notes written in the margins of a book are secondary to the main text, marginalizing people treats them as notes outside the central story.

Word relationships

sidelined: Sideline suggests temporary removal from active participation, whereas marginalize implies structural, long-term social powerlessness.
depreciate: Depreciate refers to loss of economic value, while marginalize refers to loss of social influence or power.

center: Center means to place a group or idea at the focal point of attention and power.
empower: Empower means giving power and influence to a group.

Commonly confused with

ostracize: Ostracize means active social banishment and exclusion; marginalize means pushing a group to the powerless edges.

Word family

marginal (adjective): Situated at the edge or of secondary importance.
marginalization (noun): The act or state of pushing a group to the periphery.

Collocations

marginalize communities
further marginalize
systematically marginalize

Example sentences

"Urban developments that bypass low-income neighborhoods tend to marginalize residents by cutting off access to transit." Sociological analysis
"Major political parties often marginalize third-party candidates by excluding them from televised national debates." Political discourse

Memory hook

MARGIN (edge of a page) + IZE = pushing someone out to the very edge. Pushed to the page margin.

When not to use

Avoid using for physical movement unless describing literal page margins; it refers to social and political standing.

Fun facts

The term gained widespread currency in social sciences during the 1970s through critical social theory and civil rights scholarship.

Explore more words

marginalization, marginalized, stigmatize, Ostracism, underprivileged, disenfranchise