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marginalize

MAR-jin-ul-ize /ˈmɑː.dʒɪ.nəl.aɪz/

verbC1GRESATTOEFLIELTS

academicpoliticalsociological

To treat a person, group, or concept as insignificant or peripheral, pushing them to the edges of society or power.

Marginalization is often systemic and subtle, occurring through cultural neglect, economic exclusion, or legal barriers rather than direct physical violence.

The story behind the word. The word comes from the Latin 'margo', meaning 'border' or 'edge'. Historically, it referred to writing notes in the margins of a book—outside the main, important text. In the mid-20th century, sociologists adopted it to describe people who are kept on the 'margins' of society, away from the center of power.

Word relationships

exclude: Exclude means to shut out entirely, whereas marginalize means to keep them within the system but powerless on the outer edges.
sidelight: Sidelight is an informal or literary term for making something secondary, whereas marginalize is a formal sociological term for systemic social exclusion.

integrate: To integrate is to bring a group into equal participation in a society or organization.
empower: To empower is to give authority, power, and central influence to a person or group.

Commonly confused with

ostracize: Ostracize means to actively banish or socially boycott an individual, while marginalize is to systematically make a whole group feel powerless and peripheral.

Word family

marginalization (noun): The process of treating a group or person as peripheral or insignificant.
marginalized (adjective): Excluded from mainstream social, economic, or political life.

Collocations

marginalize a community
socially marginalized
systematically marginalize
marginalize voices

Idioms & expressions

push to the sidelines
shut out

Example sentences

"Gentrification can marginalize low-income residents, forcing them out of their historic neighborhoods to the city's outskirts." Sociological critique of urban planning
"The mainstream media tended to marginalize third-party candidates by excluding them from the televised debates." Political discourse

Memory hook

Think of writing a note in the 'margin' of a notebook. The margin is the blank space on the edge that doesn't contain the main, important story. Margin = edge. To marginalize is to push someone to the edge.

When not to use

Do not use to describe simply ignoring a single, minor detail in a document; use 'overlook' or 'omit' instead.

Fun facts

The term 'marginal man' was first coined by sociologist Robert E. Park in 1928 to describe immigrants who lived between two distinct cultural worlds without fully belonging to either.

Related words

subjugate, caste, proletariat

Explore more words

marginalization, marginalized, stigmatize, Ostracism, underprivileged, disenfranchise