Home › Sociology & Social Anthropology › Elite Theory & Power Structures › marginalize

marginalize

MAR-jin-uh-lyze /ˈmɑːrdʒɪnəlaɪz/

verbC1IELTSTOEFLUPSC

sociologicalpolitical

To treat (a person, group, or concept) as insignificant or peripheral.

It describes a process of pushing someone to the 'edges' (margins) of society where they have no power.

The story behind the word. Think of the 'margin' of a notebook. It is the space outside the main area where the important writing happens. To marginalize someone is to literally put them in the blank space where they don't count.

Word relationships

sidelined: Sidelined is often temporary (like in sports); marginalized is usually a systemic social condition.

empower: To give someone the authority or power to do something; the opposite of making them insignificant.

Commonly confused with

oppress: Oppression is active cruelty or burden; marginalization is pushing someone aside so they are ignored or powerless.

Word family

marginalization (noun): The act of marginalizing.

Collocations

marginalized groups
socially marginalized
feel marginalized

Example sentences

"The new zoning laws threatened to further marginalize the immigrant community by cutting off their access to public transit." Social justice.
"For decades, mainstream historians tended to marginalize the role of women in the industrial revolution." Academic debate.

Memory hook

Marginalize: To put someone in the 'margins' where there is no room for their story. Push to the margins.

When not to use

Don't use it for simply 'ignoring' someone once; it refers to a systemic or sustained lack of influence.

Fun facts

The term 'marginal man' was first used in sociology by Robert E. Park to describe someone who lives in two different cultural groups but doesn't fully belong to either.

Related words

hegemony, co-opt

Explore more words

marginalization, marginalized, stigmatize, Ostracism, underprivileged, disenfranchise