ostracize
verb
os·tra·cize
| \ ˈä-strə-ˌsīz
\
\
ostracized;
ostracizing
Definition of ostracize
1
: to exile by ostracism
Despite his victories, Themistocles was ostracized by the Athenians.
2
: to exclude from a group by common consent
a lonely dissenter, ostracized as an enemy of the people— Robert Brustein
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Examples of ostracize in a Sentence
She was ostracized from the scientific community for many years because of her radical political beliefs.
The other girls ostracized her because of the way she dressed.
Recent Examples on the Web
In 1971, Downer was ostracized at the National Organization for Women conference and told not to get too graphic at the meeting promoting self-exams. — Alicia Mundy, Washington Post, "The health-care system’s second-class citizens," 6 Sep. 2019 And in fact, in a far different America of the past, many minority celebrities and politicians did assume Anglicized names on their unfortunately all-too-accurate assumption that too many white racists would ostracize them for their minority status. — Victor Davis Hanson, National Review, "How Robert O’Rourke Became ‘Beto’," 12 Aug. 2019 But the barrier for entry was low, Fitzsimmons said, and some authenticators were later ostracized for making dubious determinations. — NBC News, "Foul Ball: Did a NJ man get duped into buying $100K in bogus sports memorabilia?," 9 Aug. 2019 Some tried suicide, others were ostracized by their family and friends. — Pauline Repard, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Attorney: Women exposed on porn website suffered ‘living hell’," 20 Aug. 2019 Along with the regrettable veil of humiliation cast over mothers, the children conceived from rape also face extreme challenges and social persecution, ostracized by communities and often viewed as enemies. — Fox News, "Shunned Congolese refugee on raising a son born out of rape: the baby had a right to live," 2 July 2019 In his commitment video posted to Twitter, Branham said he was ostracized by classmates and others in Columbus after initially committing to Michigan. — Jon Hale, The Courier-Journal, "Kentucky football adds wide receiver, ex-Michigan commit to 2020 recruiting class," 1 July 2019 For Karen Rain, a fifty-one-year-old former student who says that Jois repeatedly assaulted her between 1994 and 1998, at his studio in Mysore, the fear of being ostracized kept her from telling anyone about the abuse. — Eliza Griswold, The New Yorker, "Yoga Reconsiders the Role of the Guru in the Age of #MeToo," 23 July 2019 In solidarity with June, the other handmaids have ostracized Ofmatthew as well. — Yvonne Villarreal, latimes.com, "'The Handmaid's Tale': How Aunt Lydia's back story came together," 11 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ostracize.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for ostracize
ostracize
verb
English Language Learners Definition of ostracize
: to not allow (someone) to be included in a group : to exclude (someone) from a group
See the full definition for ostracize in the English Language Learners Dictionary
ostracize
verb
os·tra·cize
| \ ˈä-strə-ˌsīz
\
\
ostracized;
ostracizing
Kids Definition of ostracize
: to shut out of a group
After I cheated, I was ostracized by the other players.
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