marginalized

American  

[mahr-juh-nl-ahyzd] / ˈmɑr dʒə nlˌaɪzd /

especially British, marginalised

adjective

1. placed in a position of little or no importance, influence, or power.

   Technology has the power to amplify the voices of marginalized communities and strengthen our democracy.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of marginalize.

Etymology

Origin of marginalized

marginalize ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

Anyone who's marginalized has been pushed to the edges of society and made to feel insignificant. Marginalized people often include members of racial, cultural, and religious minorities. Marginalized comes from margin, which means "the edge of a page." When groups are marginalized, they're figuratively kept in society's margins, away from the center where power and privilege lies. Marginalized people are labeled as outsiders for reasons such as their skin color, poverty, education level, gender identification, age, or disabilities. At the fringes of society, marginalized people often live without full access to their civil rights.

Example Sentences

It was Sander’s photographs of these marginalized people that got him in trouble with the Nazis; they destroyed some of his work.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026

It’s also not like superhero comic books haven’t had storylines about marginalized communities or interrogating people in power.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

She wants broad reforms in the controller’s office that would benefit working-class people and other marginalized populations that she argues are being exploited by wealthy corporations.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

The first “Harold & Kumar” film frequently lampoons police brutality and sticks up for its marginalized characters at every turn.

From Salon • Apr. 18, 2026

By doing so, they created a program called “Celebrating Diversity Through the Arts” geared toward teaching tolerance to kids who have been marginalized by society and don’t feel like they fit in.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers