Ostracize: meaning, definitions and examples

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ostracize

 

[ ˈɒstrəsʌɪz ]

Verb
Context #1 | Verb

social

To exclude someone from a group or society by general consent, often as a punishment or means of coercion.

Synonyms

banish, blacklist, exclude, shun

Examples of usage

  • They decided to ostracize him from their social circle.
  • She felt ostracized by her classmates after the incident.
Context #2 | Verb

political

To banish or exile (someone) from a city or society by popular vote.

Synonyms

banish, cast out, exile, expel

Examples of usage

  • They agreed to ostracize the corrupt politician from the government.
  • The citizens voted to ostracize the criminal from the community.

Translations

Translations of the word "ostracize" in other languages:

🇵🇹 ostracizar

🇮🇳 बहिष्कृत करना

🇩🇪 ächten

🇮🇩 mengucilkan

🇺🇦 остракізувати

🇵🇱 wykluczać

🇯🇵 村八分にする (むらはちぶにする)

🇫🇷 ostraciser

🇪🇸 ostracizar

🇹🇷 dışlamak

🇰🇷 추방하다

🇸🇦 نَبَذَ

🇨🇿 ostrakizovat

🇸🇰 ostrakizovať

🇨🇳 放逐 (fàngzhú)

🇸🇮 izključiti

🇮🇸 útskúfa

🇰🇿 шеттету

🇬🇪 გარიცხვა

🇦🇿 kənarlaşdırmaq

🇲🇽 ostracizar

Etymology

The word 'ostracize' originates from the ancient Greek practice of ostracism, where citizens would vote to exile a person from the city-state for ten years as a way of protecting the democracy from tyranny. The term comes from the Greek word 'ostrakizein', meaning 'to banish by voting with potsherds'. The concept was used as a political tool to maintain balance and order in society.

See also: ostracism, ostracized.

Word Frequency Rank

Ranking #38,077, this word is encountered relatively rarely in everyday English. It might appear in literary works or specialized texts but isn't essential for general communication.