marginalize
MAR-jin-uh-lyz
/ˈmɑː.dʒɪ.nəl.aɪz/
To treat a person, group, or concept as insignificant or push them to the edge of society.
Refers to systemic, often quiet deprivation of power or attention, pushing groups out of mainstream discourse.
The story behind the word. Derived from 'margin', the blank space at the edge of a printed page. Sociologists in the 20th century adopted the term metaphorically to describe people who live on the 'edges' of society where they lack power, visibility, and resources.
Word relationships
- sidelined: 'Sideline' suggests removing from active participation, while 'marginalize' implies systematic peripheral status.
- diminish: 'Diminish' means to reduce in size or importance, while 'marginalize' stresses social positioning.
- empower: 'Empower' gives power, status, and authority to a group.
- integrate: 'Integrate' brings peripheral groups into the central structure.
Commonly confused with
- magnify: 'Magnify' means to make larger; 'marginalize' means to reduce to insignificance.
Word family
- marginalization (noun): The treatment of a person or group as insignificant.
- marginalized (adjective): Pushed to the edge of social importance.
Collocations
- marginalize a community
- marginalized groups
- systematically marginalize
- further marginalize
Idioms & expressions
- push to the margins
Example sentences
- "Minority voters expressed concern that new voting laws would marginalize vulnerable populations." Political science
- "Rapid urban development threatened to marginalize traditional craftspeople living in the old district." Sociological discourse
Memory hook
MARGIN-alize: pushing someone into the blank MARGIN of a page. Pushed into the margin.
When not to use
Do not use for sudden physical expulsion; it describes economic, social, or political peripheralization.
Fun facts
- The sociological term 'marginal man' was coined in 1928 by Robert E. Park to describe individuals living between two distinct cultural worlds.
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
- Philosophy → Feminist Philosophy
- Sociology & Social Anthropology → Social Stratification & Hierarchy
- Sociology & Social Anthropology → Social Deviance & Conformity
- Sociology & Social Anthropology → Elite Theory & Power Structures
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