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ostracize

OSS-truh-syz /ˈɒstrəsaɪz/

verbC1GRESATGMATTOEFLIELTS

neutralformal

To deliberately exclude, shun, or banish someone from a society, group, or social circle.

Ostracization is an active, collective punishment where a group agrees to ignore or reject an individual, often due to non-conformity.

The story behind the word. In ancient Athens, citizens used a democratic process called 'ostrakismos' to protect their city from potential tyrants. Once a year, citizens would gather and write the name of a dangerous or overly powerful individual on a piece of broken pottery called an 'ostrakon.' If a person received enough votes, they were banished from Athens for ten years.

Word relationships

shun: Shun is a general term for avoiding someone, while ostracize specifically implies a collective, group-wide decision to banish or ignore an individual.
banish: Banish usually implies a formal, legal expulsion from a country or place, while ostracize is typically social and informal.

welcome: Welcome means to greet and receive someone warmly, the direct opposite of ostracizing them.
embrace: Embrace means to enthusiastically accept and include someone.

Commonly confused with

marginalize: Marginalizing pushes a group to the powerless edges of society, while ostracizing is the complete shunning or banishment of a specific individual from a group.

Word family

ostracism (noun): The act of excluding someone from a society or group.
ostracized (adjective): Excluded or shunned by a group.

Collocations

socially ostracize
ostracize a member
fear of being ostracized
completely ostracized

Idioms & expressions

give the cold shoulder
send to Coventry

Example sentences

"The popular students would often ostracize anyone who did not wear the latest fashion trends, leaving them to sit alone at lunch." Discussing school bullying and social dynamics.

Memory hook

Think of an 'ostrich' sticking its head in the sand. When a group ostracizes someone, they pretend that person doesn't exist, like an ostrich ignoring its surroundings. Ostracize is to vote someone out.

When not to use

Do not use 'ostracize' for a simple, polite disagreement; it implies a harsh, systematic social shunning.

Fun facts

During ancient Athenian ostracism, the banished person did not lose their property or citizenship rights; they simply had to leave the city for a decade.
The word 'ostrakon' is also the root of 'oyster,' because oyster shells were sometimes used as writing surfaces in ancient Greece.