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marginalization

mar-jih-nul-ih-ZAY-shun /ˌmɑː.dʒɪ.nəl.aɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/

nounB2GRESATIELTSTOEFLUPSC

academicjournalistic

Treatment of a person, group, or concept as insignificant, peripheral, or outside the center of power and opportunity.

Refers to systemic socio-economic or political exclusion rather than simple individual dislike.

The story behind the word. From Latin 'margo' (edge, border), the same root that gives us the margin of a page. Sociologists adopted the term in the 20th century to metaphorically describe placing people in the 'margins' of society.

Word relationships

exclusion: Exclusion means shutting out entirely, whereas marginalization often means keeping a group visible but powerless at the fringe.
alienation: Alienation highlights feelings of isolation, whereas marginalization describes the structural positioning.

integration: Bringing marginalized groups into equal participation within society.
inclusion: The practice of ensuring equal access and opportunities for all.

Commonly confused with

margin: Margin is an edge or border; marginalization is the social process of pushing people to the edges.

Word family

marginalize (verb): To treat as insignificant or peripheral.
marginalized (adjective): Pushed to the edges of social power.

Collocations

social marginalization
systemic marginalization
economic marginalization

Example sentences

"The economic report revealed that spatial segregation contributed directly to the marginalization of rural laborers." Economic policy analysis

Memory hook

MARGIN = Edge of a page. Marginalization = Pushing people to the outer edges. Pushed to the margins.

When not to use

Avoid using for momentary exclusion in a casual game; reserve for structural, economic, or social pushes to the fringes.

Fun facts

Robert E. Park, a pioneering sociologist, introduced the concept of the 'marginal man' in 1928 to describe immigrants living between two cultures.