Ostracize: meaning, definitions and examples

Use in situations where someone is deliberately excluded or isolated from a group, often as a form of punishment.

• The community decided to ostracize him after his betrayal.
• She was ostracized by her peers for her unconventional beliefs.

A general term used to describe leaving someone out from a group, event, or activity. Can be used in various formal or informal contexts.

• They decided to exclude her from the meeting due to her disruptive behavior.
• He felt hurt when he was excluded from the party.

Implies deliberately avoiding someone or something, often for moral or social reasons. Generally has a negative connotation.

• The town decided to shun him because of his criminal past.
• She started to shun unhealthy foods after her diagnosis.

Appropriate when someone is formally or officially forced to leave a place, often as a legal or authoritative decision.

• The king decided to banish the traitor from the kingdom.
• He was banished from the town for causing trouble.

Usually used in professional or organizational settings where someone is prevented from being involved or participating due to specific reasons. Often has a negative connotation.

• After leaking company secrets, he found himself on the industry's blacklist.
• The actor was blacklisted and couldn't find work for years.

Use when describing social exclusion, often in a community or social group setting.

• The kids decided to ostracize him because he was different
• She felt ostracized at her new school

Appropriate for formal or official removal, often from a place or position and carries a strong, often dramatic connotation.

• The king decided to banish the traitor from the kingdom
• She was banished from the club after breaking the rules

Typically refers to forced removal or self-imposed absence from one's country, often with a sense of permanence.

• The writer lived in exile for many years
• Political dissidents were exiled by the regime

Commonly used in institutional settings like schools or organizations, involving formal removal due to rules violation.

• The student was expelled for cheating
• The member was expelled from the committee after the scandal

Best used in a dramatic, often literary sense, to describe forceful exclusion.

• They cast out the demon from the village
• He was cast out from his family for his crimes