marginalize
MAR-jin-uh-lyz
/ˈmɑːrdʒɪnəlaɪz/
To treat a person, group, or concept as insignificant or peripheral, pushing them to the edges of society.
Implies systematic exclusion from core decision-making, resources, or socio-cultural influence.
The story behind the word. Derived from Latin 'margo', meaning boundary or border. In printed manuscripts, notes were scribbled literally in the margins away from the main text; by the mid-20th century, sociologists adapted it metaphorically to describe groups pushed away from the center of social power.
Word relationships
- sidelined: Sideline suggests temporary exclusion from play or activity; marginalize suggests deep socio-structural displacement.
- ostracize: Ostracize means outright social banishment, whereas marginalize often involves keeping a group present but powerless.
- integrate: To bring into equal participation in a group or institution.
Commonly confused with
- minimize: Minimize means to make something seem smaller; marginalize means to push people or groups out of power.
Word family
- marginalization (noun): The social process of becoming pushed to the periphery.
- marginal (adjective): Situated on the border or edge; minimal.
Collocations
- further marginalize
- marginalize vulnerable groups
- systematically marginalize
Idioms & expressions
- push to the fringes
- side-line
Example sentences
- "Standardized tests that ignore linguistic diversity serve to marginalize non-native speakers within public education." Educational inclusion critique
Memory hook
Push someone into the MARGINS of the page where main text doesn't go. Pushed to the page's edge.
When not to use
Do not use for temporary physical positioning (e.g. standing near a wall).
Fun facts
- The term gained immense popular traction in 1970s sociology literature.
Related words
Explore more words
marginalization, marginalized, stigmatize, Ostracism, underprivileged, disenfranchise
Also appears in
- Relationships → Inclusivity & Belonging
- Relationships → Exclusion & Ostracism
- Demographics & Urban Studies → Migration & Displacement
- Demographics & Urban Studies → Segregation & Redlining
- Philosophy → Feminist Philosophy
- Sociology & Social Anthropology → Social Stratification & Hierarchy
- Sociology & Social Anthropology → Caste Systems & Untouchability
- Sociology & Social Anthropology → Social Deviance & Conformity
- Sociology & Social Anthropology → Elite Theory & Power Structures
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