marginalize
MAR-jin-uh-lyze
/ˈmɑːr.dʒɪ.nə.laɪz/
To treat a person, group, or concept as insignificant or peripheral; push to the outer edge of society.
Implies structural pushes away from centers of power, attention, or resource allocation.
The story behind the word. Derived from Medieval Latin 'marginalis', from 'margo' (border). Literally meaning to place in the margins of a page, the verb took on its sociological meaning in the 20th century to describe pushing people to the edges of social power.
Word relationships
- sidelining: Sidelining is often temporary or context-specific, whereas marginalizing denotes institutional or social push to the edges.
- center: To center someone is to make their perspective primary and focal.
Commonly confused with
- alienate: Alienate means to cause someone to feel isolated emotionally, while marginalize means to reduce someone's social power or standing.
Word family
- marginalized (adjective): Pushed to the edges of society or importance.
- marginalization (noun): The act or process of pushing a group to the periphery.
Collocations
- marginalize voices
- marginalize communities
- further marginalize
Example sentences
- "Dominant cultural institutions often marginalize non-mainstream voices by denying them access to major publishing platforms." Sociology (bell hooks, Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center)
- "Electoral rules that favor large political parties can marginalize smaller minority groups." Political Science
Memory hook
Margin = the blank border of a page. To marginalize is to write someone into the border, outside the main text. Pushing to the margins.
When not to use
Do not use for temporary, accidental oversight; it refers to systematic social exclusion.
Fun facts
- In medieval manuscripts, notes written in the margins ('marginalia') were often considered secondary to the sacred central text.
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
- Education & Pedagogy → Educational Inequality
- 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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