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ostracize

OS-truh-syz /ˈɒstrəsaɪz/

verbC1GRESATACTGMAT

neutralacademic

To exclude someone from a society or group by common consent.

Ostracize implies a systematic, collective shunning of an individual by a community, rather than a simple personal rejection.

The story behind the word. In ancient Athens, citizens could vote to banish a dangerous politician by writing their name on a broken piece of pottery called an 'ostrakon'. If a person received enough votes, they were exiled from the city for ten years. This democratic practice of voting with potsherds gave us the word 'ostracize'.

Word relationships

shun: Shun can be done by a single person or a group, while ostracize specifically implies a collective, organized social banishment.

welcome: Welcome means to receive someone gladly and integrate them into a group.

Commonly confused with

exile: Exile is a legal or physical banishment from a country, while ostracize is a social exclusion from a group.

Word family

ostracism (noun): Exclusion from a society or group.

Collocations

ostracize from society
socially ostracized
completely ostracized
ostracize a member

Example sentences

"The other children began to ostracize him because he was different." A sociological study on school dynamics
"Members who vote against the party line are often ostracized by their colleagues." A discussion of political party discipline

Memory hook

Think of 'ostracize' as putting someone on an 'ostrich island'—completely isolated and ignored by the rest of the flock. Voted out on a potsherd.

When not to use

Do not use ostracize for physical banishment or legal exile; it refers to social exclusion and the 'silent treatment' by a group.

Fun facts

Archaeologists in Athens have dug up thousands of actual 'ostraka' (potsherds) from the 5th century BC, bearing the scratched names of famous historical figures like Themistocles.